


Courier

by meoqie



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Derse/Prospit Royalty, Alternate Universe - Human/Troll Society, Alternate Universe - Space, Alternate Universe - Steampunk, Developing Relationship, F/F, F/M, Government Conspiracy, M/M, Multi, Politics, The main pairing is Dirk/Jake, others are just side ships and will get passing mention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-27
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2017-12-30 14:06:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 25,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1019532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meoqie/pseuds/meoqie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Ever since the Terrans and Alternians sought refuge on the twin planets of Derse and Prospit, there was a continual underlying power struggle between the two races. After years of bloody civil war, Derse found a tentative solution in dual rulership. A tetrarchy dividing the planet between the northern and southern hemispheres, with an Alternian governing the south and a Terran the north..."</p><p>Twin planets divided by a thick belt of asteroids, traversed by intrepid individuals known as couriers, who were willing to risk life and limb to connect the two by delivering important missives. Twin planets ruled very differently, but each a compromise between the two races who call them their home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Glass and Brass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **EDIT: 8/26/14 - Minor grammatical changes.**

Heavy rain pattered against the domed glass of the library roof. The water streaked down the curves and pooling in the brass framework. Lit with bright lamps from within, the building gave the impression of being underwater. It was beautiful, of course. Which is why several dozen workers spent their nights washing every single pane of glass, inside and out. The Royal Library was one of their paramount achievements. Flawless, smooth, curved glass, without any bubbles or cracks. Unfortunately, the prince had seen it every day for his entire life, and the effect was completely lost on him by now. He just pushed open the doors and stepped in, shaking water from his cloak. Soon he was standing in a small puddle.

“Someone will have to mop that up, Your Highness,” a condescending female voice said.

The prince shrugged. “There is someone who gets paid to do that.”

“You've gotten so spoiled since your selection.”

“And you've gotten so judgmental and bossy.”

“I was always judgmental and bossy.”

The prince turned to face the other speaker with a smirk. “I cannot argue with that, cousin.”

Rose Lalonde, Chief Assistant Librarian and Royal Oracle, smiled and hugged the prince. Who happened to be her blood relative, Dirk Strider.

 

“I'll take care of it, just get me a mop,” he said.

Rose nodded and opened a small cupboard under the front desk, handing the mop over to him as he tossed her his cloak to hang up. In short order the puddle taken care of and the two curled up on one of the plush violet couches with cups of tea.

“So what brings you to my dazzling domain, dear cousin?”

Dirk shrugged, sipping his tea. “Boredom, as usual. There is only so much paper a man can push across the surface of a desk in one day, after all.”

Rose chuckled. “If only you hadn't been quite so good at it in primary school, hmm?”

Dirk grimaced. Indeed. Being Prince was not a title you were born into, but rather the emperor selected you for upon meeting certain requirements. Dirk happened to fulfill those requirements almost to the letter. Now what he had to look forward to for the rest of his life was mindless paperwork day in and day out. With random occasions of putting on uncomfortable clothes and acting interested in a lot of boring stuff. Although some of the perks were nice, like being able to visit the library at all hours without a pass. Visting hours for the public were nine to four, and ten to two on weekends. Dirk was currently the only individual in the library who didn't work there; the foyer was empty save for Rose and himself. The rain muffled any sounds from outside the library, and the interior was almost silent. Dirk could feel some of the tension in his shoulders relaxing.

“What have you occupied yourself with lately?” he asked Rose.

“Do you want the long version or the short version?” the girl asked with a slight smile.

“Oh, hell, the long version. I need an excuse to be here for a while.”

Rose set her teacup down on the small table next to the couch. “Well, I've been primarily engaged in some alchemical experiments. My recent studies have indicated that our predecessors had even greater technology and medical advancements than we previously believed. For example...”

Dirk leaned back and let Rose chatter on, nodding on occasion to assure her that he was listening. Which he was, partially. He'd perfected the skills of being able to listen to one thing while thinking about something else.

 

“Now then,” Rose said, folding her hands as she finished her discourse. “Are you going to tell me the real reason as to why you're here?”

Dirk sighed. He had been expecting that question. Rose could see through people as if they were one of the library windows. He should have known better than to seek refuge with an oracle. But that was exactly why he came, wasn't it? To anyone else his 'I'm fine' facade would have been perfectly convincing.

“I'm sure you are aware of Emperor Justin's poor health,” Dirk began.

Rose nodded. Dirk braced his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his palms.

“He had another setback last night,” he confessed, voice slightly muffled by his hands. “It's not looking good.”

His cousin made a quiet noise that expressed both sympathy and a 'do go on.'

“I'm not ready to ascend! Well, no, that isn't quite right. Of course I'm ready, I've been ready since six months after my selection. As egotistical as it sounds, we both know I was born to be emperor.”

“No one would ever accuse you of being egotistical, dear cousin.”

Dirk looked up from his fingers to cast Rose a baleful look. She responded with a serene smile.

“I just... I don't want to get locked into that life for the remainder of my existence already. At least as a prince I have some freedoms. As the emperor... that's it. I'm stuck in my gilded cage forever.” He carded his fingers through his hair in agitation, making most of it stick straight up. “Not to mention the fact that my ascending so young will just deepen the ridiculous 'rivalry' Prince Eridan has concocted between us.”

“Rivalry? My, my, you should be flattered.”

Rose's eyebrows approached her hairline, and Dirk groaned before throwing a pillow at her.

“You know what I meant, silver-tongued soothsayer. He truly believes that he has a greater right to rule than I do. My early ascension will solidify his hatred of me. It will be a delicate situation; if I don't play my cards right, after his ascension we could find ourselves on the path to civil war again.”

Rose adjusted her skirt, crossing one leg over the other. “Most people wouldn't be thinking that far ahead.”

“Most people aren't poised to become Emperor of half an entire planet.”

“Point taken.”

Which, really, was _why_ Dirk was poised to become emperor of half the planet of Derse. Worrying about events in the far future came naturally to him, making him an ideal candidate, even if he was likely to fret himself into an early grave. Dersian politics worked like a well-oiled machine... on the surface. When you were heavily involved in them, you saw that it was more like a nest of rats, albeit remarkably coordinated rats.

 

Ever since the Terrans and Alternians sought refuge on the twin planets of Derse and Prospit, there was a continual underlying power struggle between the two races. After years of bloody civil war, Derse found a tentative solution in dual rulership. A tetrarchy dividing the planet between the northern and southern hemispheres, with an Alternian governing the south and a Terran the north. Minor judicial decisions were made separately, while major ones had to be discussed and approved by both. Peace, albeit a rather uneasy one, was achieved, and if more Alternians lived in the south and more Terrans in the north, well, at least they weren't close enough to slit each other's throats in dark alleys anymore.

Prospit didn't have the same level of violence as Derse, but there was still a supremacy dispute. They found a different method of governing that soothed tempers across the board. Prospit had a single ruler, ascending at the age of twenty-five, or when the previous monarch died. Six 'heirs,' chosen at age twelve, of either gender, three of each race. When it came time for their ascension, the ideal candidate was chosen by a blind oracle. Interestingly enough, when the blind oracle was Alternian, the heir chosen was often Terran, and the same in reverse. This fostered a unique symbiotic relationship between the two races that could not be replicated on Derse. Prospit even had instances of Terrans being adopted into the Alternian quadrants, even though they were physically incapable of reproducing with one another.

Several months ago it had been all the rage to gossip about the 'scandal' on Prospit involving one of the human heirs being in a kismesissitude with one of the royal knights, who was in turn in a matespritship with the blind oracle, who was the moirail of the spymaster general, who was in a matespritship with the same heir. Dirk personally didn't see the big deal. The blind oracle was put in a trance with drugs before making the selection, it's not as though one of the heirs being her matesprit's kismesis could sway her decision. Not to mention she was a notorious stickler for justice and laws. She would never do anything that unscrupulous.

 

Dirk suddenly realized that Rose was calling his name, and by all appearances had been doing so for the past several minutes. So maybe the art of listening to one thing while thinking of another was one he hadn't perfected entirely.

“I'm sorry, what?” he said, focusing on the present.

“I said, come walk with me,” Rose repeated, her lips quirked slightly in amusement. “I certainly hope you don't space out like that in royal audiences, Your Highness.”

He groaned, dropping his head back against the couch.

“Come on now, hop to it. You are the one who is always complaining about sitting behind a desk all day. And with the rich food at the palace you need all the exercise you can get!”

“I swear you exist just to annoy the living hell out of me.”

“Oh, silly me, how could I have forgotten. Of _course_ my very existence revolves around you.”

“For the love of-!” Dirk lunged at Rose, grabbing her around the waist and tickling her sides.

She laughed and easily batted him away. “Now come on! Walk with me!”

 

Together they walked out of the foyer into the main area of the library. Rows and rows of shelves stretched across the vast area, glass-capped lights shining. Rose led him past the stacks and the study area, desks empty and lights extinguished, up the spiral staircase to the observatory. The peak of the library was a large glass bubble, ringed with a brass walkway. The rain was letting up some, and from where they stood in the center of the bubble they could see for miles in several directions. Above them the starscape matched the map printed on the carpet below their feet, albeit obscured by the rainclouds. Rose leaned against the railing, her forehead nearly touching the glass. Dirk joined her, surveying the city. It was the exact opposite of the view he had from his bedroom window, which faced the other side of Derse. Across from the library was the postal station, a tall building with a complex scaffolding system extending several hundred feet above the roof.

The postal station was the final stop along the Great Brass Bridge. The Great Brass Bridge was not a real bridge, but rather a series of structures built into the asteroid belt that ran between Derse and Prospit. Mass travel between the two planets was complicated and required vast amounts of fuel, therefore was reserved almost exclusively for special occasions such as coronations, or royal weddings and funerals. So communication between them relied on the messenger system of individuals known as couriers. The Great Brass Bridge was their means of traversing the asteroid belt, with a combination of grappling hooks and using the lower gravity to their advantage. It was a hazardous job, because the asteroids were not stationary, and many of them were inhabited by monsters.

As a consequence, mail was rather expensive. There were the normal weekly deliveries, which charged per the weight of the parcel, and then special trips cost a flat rate with the weight price on top of that. The only mail that did not cost anything was official letters between the royals, because couriers were official royal employees. Dirk interacted with them on occasion, although he'd never had a need to send mail by courier himself. His impression of them was that they were all a bit mad, since they seemed to enjoy risking life and limb on a near-daily basis.

Just then Dirk caught sight of a figure scaling the ladder of the Postal Station. He was in Prospit yellow rather than Derse violet, so it was a special missive rather than the scheduled delivery. Five steps from the roof he missed a rung and fell the rest of the way. The two postal workers that stood on the roof to assist the couriers rushed to his side, but he was already on his feet, appearing to laugh about it. Yes, couriers were definitely completely mad. He shook his head. Pushing papers across a desk was definitely preferable to jumping around in space.

Rose turned to him and smiled. “I suggest you get back to the palace, Your Highness, you have a message to receive.”

Dirk looked at her, then back at the postal station, and then back at her. “You know something. You know something because you had a vision, or some intuition or one of your demons or whatever you're in communication with told you something. Whatever it is you know something and you're not telling me what it is and I'm disconcerted by it.”

Rose only smiled in an innocent way, which of course Dirk read as being not innocent in the least.

“I'm just letting you know that you have to go retrieve the message from that courier. It's something that you could have figured out for yourself. He's in Prospit colors which means it's a royal correspondence. You told me yourself the emperor is in no state to be granting audience. Thus, the task falls to you. Now go on. If you hurry you can beat him there and have time to make yourself look a little less disheveled, too.”

Dirk narrowed his eyes. “Why would I need to concern myself with my appearance? What do you know?”

Rose blinked, wide-eyed. “Is it proper for a prince to present an unkempt image?”

He groaned and dropped his forehead into his palm. “You are absolutely infuriating!”

Rose was still smiling, making little shooing motions with her hands.

“Yes, alright, I'm going. Thanks for the tea, Rose.”

“Anytime.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The air is apparently breathable in space in Homestuck so we're just going to roll with that. Also Prospit and Derse are very small planets and it's totally reasonable to have technically only one government system. But the gravity is somehow approximately the same as on earth. Let's just not question it okay? Okay. Also Skaia kind of serves as the sun?
> 
> Yes, the courier system is based loosely on letter bees from Tegami Bachi. It's a cool concept and I like it. I... actually didn't do that on purpose. I only read like six volumes of that manga and lost track of it a while ago.
> 
> Short backstory is post-apocalyptic future, both races escaped to these tiny planets way out in the middle of nowhere, lost all communication with previous civilizations, and the level of technology gradually declined over time to basically restart the innovation process. Kind of like the Dragonriders of Pern books. They're currently at Victorian/Edwardian technology.  
> It's Steampunk in space, basically.


	2. Replacement Costs of Carpeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The character perspective will hop around a bit in this fic, but never in the middle of a chapter and there will always be clear indications of whose perspective it's switching to.
> 
> **EDIT: 8/26/14 - Minor grammatical changes and some more details added.**

Jake English entered the atmosphere of Derse and was  drenched at once. Just great. It was always raining on Derse. He didn't understand how the locals could deal with downpours day in and day out.

He peered through rain-splattered spectacles, trying to climb down the tower of the Postal Station. He'd almost gotten turned away when he applied to be a courier because of his poor vision. Luckily his younger cousin had been able to invent a pair of goggle-like glasses that would be able to withstand the rigors of the job. Unfortunately they still made it difficult to see in the rain. She was working on that. But for now he couldn't see all that well, and the rain made the rungs slippery. About five feet from the surface of the roof he slipped, missed the rung he was grabbing for, and fell the rest of the way. The air left his lungs with an 'oof',' but once he could breathe again he established that he was otherwise unharmed. Laughing, he dismissed the postal workers who tried to assist him. He felt silly when he was fussed over. Bumps and scrapes were par for the course in this profession. He also turned down their offer of a dry uniform and a cup of tea. He had a rather urgent missive to deliver to the palace.

At least, he was pretty sure it was urgent. It was confidential, so he didn't know what it contained. He tended to assume that if it was confidential, it was also urgent. Better safe than sorry, anyway. Jake held a record for fastest delivery time and he was quite proud of it.

 

He hurried along the rain-slick streets, grateful for the thick, spiky treads of his boots. The cobblestones below made damp crunching sounds with each step. It was late evening and the rain discouraged anyone who might consider venturing out even at this hour. It was a bit eerie, to be all alone on the wide boulevards leading to the palace. Lights flickered in numerous windows, watery and dim through the rain-streaked glass. It was a little like an underwater city. Beautiful in a haunting sort of way. Jake wasn't one to dwell on poetics, so the emptiness was just unsettling and the rain was just annoying.

He sighed in relief once he reached the palace. He was a bit tired from this particular trip. Traversing space was always rather taxing, and running in the rain didn't help.

His courier's uniform granted him immediate access. Once inside, an official informed him that the emperor was currently indisposed. The crown prince would be receiving him instead. Jake was rather intrigued. He'd seen the prince before, of course, but he'd never spoken directly to him before. Jake wasn’t sure he even knew his name.

A servant ushered him to the prince's study. It was much smaller than the emperor's, but furnished in just as lavish a manner. It was also empty at the moment. Jake waited patiently, regretting not accepting a dry uniform as he dripped water onto the carpet below his feet.

A door on the opposite side of the room opened and the prince entered, looking a bit as if he'd rushed there himself. Jake gave a prompt bow, extending the message canister to him.

“Thank you,” the prince said, in a voice that sounded out of breath.

Jake wondered where he had been that he needed to get to the study in such a hurry. It wasn't necessary, anyway, he would have waited for as long as it took for the prince to arrive. He supposed that would have appeared unprofessional, though. Perhaps he had an inkling as to what the message contained, and was anxious to read it.

“Would you like me to remain here until you compose your reply, Highness?” he asked.

“Ye-no-yes,” the prince said in a rush. “Yes, I'd like you available, but no, don't just stand there. You're soaking wet, you'll catch your death of pneumonia or something. I'll ring a servant to bring you some dry clothes.”

Jake tried to protest, but the prince would have none of it, pulling a chain on the wall to summon a servant. Thanking the prince profusely, he followed the servant out to dry off and put on a simple shirt and trousers. Belatedly, he realized it was most likely just the prince's concern for the carpet and not him. He cringed. He should have just accepted it with thanks from the get-go.

 

He returned to the study just as the prince was folding the message back into it's envelope.

“I apologize for getting the carpet wet,” he blurted, feeling embarrassed.

“What?” the prince said, looking confused. “Oh. Don't worry yourself over it. I'll have someone hang it to dry. The thing is on the floor to be walked on anyway. I will never understand the point of expensive carpets. We're all just stepping on them with our dirty shoes. Tiled floors are so much more efficient. They can just get mopped. When I'm emperor maybe I'll replace all the carpeting with tile. That could get expensive, though. But it would probably be less expensive than replacing ruined rugs every so often. I'll have to look into our carpet replacement costs. One more thing to do.”

Jake chewed his lip, not sure what to say. The prince appeared to be rambling to himself. And he guessed he had been actually concerned about his health?

“Having you standing there while I write will make me feel uncomfortable, please sit.”

Jake hastily obeyed.

The prince looked up and raised an eyebrow. “Sitting does not mean perching on the edge of the chair like it's going to bite your ass if you're not careful,” he said in a tone of dry amusement.

Did the prince just swear? Jake was pretty sure the prince just swore. He flushed, gulped, and settled into the chair more comfortably.

The prince sighed. “Do you realize that I'm most likely younger than you are? And that I went through the exact same primary school as you? Can you please stop acting like I'm some terrifying figure of authority? It makes me feel rather ostracized.”

“I apologize,” Jake muttered, looking down. He felt badly about it, but he couldn't help the way he was reacting to someone who ranked so high above him. It was the way he was trained.

“I'm sure you were trained to behave this way when serving royalty,” the prince continued, echoing Jake’s thoughts. “It's just... it's so lonely, you know? The only peers I have that treat me like a normal person are my family. Which, don't get me wrong, I love them, but it doesn't change the fact that they're family and not friends.”

Jake was in a situation not much different from that, but in his case it was by choice. He didn't like being around people for too long. That's why he loved his job as a courier, it was so solitary. Though he supposed that if he was forced to be alone most of the time he wouldn't like it either. And what the prince was describing didn’t sound like being _solitary_ as much as it was being _isolated_.

“I'm sorry,” Jake reiterated, not sure what else to say.

The prince groaned and shook his head. “Listen to me, pouring out my personal problems to a complete stranger. I'm embarrassed for myself right now. And you're so polite and professional, just taking it all in. I'll be quiet, now.”

The prince busied himself with taking out pens and paper. Jake wanted to assure him that it was fine, but in truth he had been a little uncomfortable listening to him talk about something like that. So he just sat there in silence, letting himself daydream. The scratching of pen on paper was rather relaxing background noise, and the chair was very comfortable. Despite himself, he dozed off. He woke to the prince gently shaking his shoulder.

 

“Great merciful cosmos,” he declared, hopping to his feet. “I'm so flippin' sorry! I can't believe I did something so unprofessional!”

The prince just laughed at him as he stood there, a blushing, stammering mess. “It's alright,” he soothed. “You looked like you needed a nap. I promise I won't tell anyone.”

Jake hunched his shoulders. “Thank you,” he muttered to the still-damp carpeting.

Some silence followed, and Jake got the strangest impression that the prince was trying to prolong their interaction for some reason. Why would he do a thing like that, though?

“Would you like some tea?” he asked.

He was definitely trying to prolong their interaction.

“I should get your reply back to the post office...”

“It's not that urgent.”

Trying _very hard_ to prolong their interaction.

The prince was staring at him rather intently. It was likely rude to refuse an offer of tea from royalty. He relented.

 

The prince led him down a hall into a small drawing room which Jake realized was his private parlor connected to his bedchamber. He felt rather uncomfortable about this whole situation. The prince rang for a servant to serve tea.

“Ah, your Highness,” Jake began.

“I have a name,” the prince interrupted. “It's Dirk. I'd rather you used it.”

Jake frowned. Well, now he knew his name. “Um, right... well then, Dirk, what prompted this sudden invitation?”

Dirk huffed a sigh and took a seat on one of the couches, indicating that Jake should do the same. “This is going to sound silly, but, my cousin is an oracle. She conveyed to me that your arrival had some importance. I thought maybe it was the message, but it didn't seem to be anything special. So I can only assume that it's _you_. I guess I'm just waiting for Fate to come around and whack us both over the head with something meaningful.” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking embarrassed.

“Oh.” Jake wasn't especially close to any oracles. They were fairly common, but most of them were only good at predicting the weather and finding lost cats. And how could a _person_ be fated to be something meaningful based on a simple government interaction?

Dirk fidgeted, looking awkward and embarrassed. “So, nice weather we're having?”

“It's raining,” Jake reminded.

“Oh, right.”

Uncomfortable silence followed until the servants came around with trays of tea, pastries, and small sandwiches.

To his horror, Jake's stomach growled. He began to splutter an apology, face red, but Dirk just flapped a dismissive hand at him, laughing.

“Do I need to remind you that I'm a human being, too?” he said, still chuckling.

Jake hunched his shoulders and meekly reached for a sandwich. He wasn't even sure what to think anymore. He still felt uncomfortable and embarrassed, and he was rather hoping the prince would let him escape soon.

“The first meeting I had to attend after I was selected as crown prince, I was too nervous to eat beforehand, and it was a very long and boring meeting. A few hours in, at the exact moment everyone wasn't talking for some reason, my stomach growled so loudly someone asked if there was a dog in the room.”

Jake choked on his bite of sandwich, trying not to laugh and failing miserably. He assumed it was bad manners to laugh at a prince, but he _had_ just insisted that he was a normal human being. His imagination couldn’t help but conjure the most hilarious visual to go along with his story.

Apparently laughing was acceptable, because Dirk smiled in a pleased sort of way.

“I have dozens of embarrassing stories about myself,” he said, a bit smugly.

It was a bit of an odd thing to be smug about, until he thought of the times he'd sit with other couriers at the post office between deliveries, trying to one-up each other with dumb ways they'd injured themselves on a run. There was something satisfying about getting someone to laugh at you, and being able to laugh at them in turn. Even if he'd never met the other couriers before, they all felt like friends after. But it wouldn't do to laugh at a prince, would it? No wonder he didn't have any friends.

Jake tucked his legs under him and grabbed another sandwich. “I'd love to hear them,” he said with a grin.

Dirk positively lit up with excitement. “Well,” he began, “There was this one time I was getting fitted for some new clothes...”


	3. Dramatically Looking Out of the Window While it Rains

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to preserve the idiosyncrasies of Dave's speech without sacrificing the authenticity of the setting. I don't know how well I succeeded. 
> 
> Also troll/human lingo has kind of blended in the years they've been living together. Not to mention I see Dave as the kind of guy who picks up phrases from whoever he hangs around, and someone who would be pals with trolls. Disregarding that his canon troll buddies live on Prospit.
> 
>  
> 
> **EDIT: 8/26/14 - Minor grammar changes and a few more details added - specifically the sentence about Roxy, it was really unclear the first time.**

Dave Strider knocked on his brother's bedroom door for a minute straight before just opening it and walking in. It had been previously locked. The handle mechanism was now hanging uselessly from the torn wood.

“I respected you as my Prince by knocking before I came in because I'm an imperial knight and respecting you is kind of in my job description,” Dave said casually. “ _But_ , since I'm your brother I have the privilege of being an obnoxious prick and totally not waiting for you to answer the door. Since we both know you were just going to keep ignoring me anyway.”

“You broke my door,” Dirk said hollowly.

“Shit's replaceable.” Dave's flippant tone matched his one-shoulder shrug as he flopped down on the bed beside his older brother. Befitting a crown prince, the bed could have fit at least six people comfortably, and was laid with only the finest of silk duvets. They were currently strewn haphazardly across the mattress and spilling onto the floor.

“So what gives? You've been looking like one those 'dramatically looking out of the window while it rains' ladies on the covers of those awful novels Rose reads.”

A corner of Dirk's mouth conceded to quirk up a little.

“Is it because of the Emperor?” Dave prompted, moving his head to try and catch his brother's gaze.

Dirk sighed. “Yeah, that's part of it. Another thing is thanks to Lalonde.”

“Roxy?”

Roxy Lalonde was also Rose's cousin, on the other side of her family, and therefore unrelated to the Striders. Dirk always considered Roxy family anyway. Roxy didn't. Her awkward romantic interest had been a source of stress for Dirk since they were preteens.

Dirk shook his head. “Other one. She pulled her mystic horrorterror mumbo-jumbo on me and now I'm in a rather annoying and inconvenient situation.”

Dave raised an eyebrow. Dirk was paying enough attention to him to catch the look. Goddamn him and his exceptional peripheral vision.

Dirk sighed. “You're going to make me tell you everything, aren't you?”

“Well, as an imperial knight, it's pretty much also in my job description to protect you. Even from your own mental bullshit and psychological self-spite. So start talking before I go to Rose and make her tell me instead.”

It was most likely the only threat that would work. Rose was taciturn when the answers to the questions being asked would benefit the one asking said questions. If it was information that could be used to further torment someone, she became downright verbose.

“How pathetic would it be to make up some nonsense excuse to send a royal missive in the hopes of seeing a certain courier again?” Dirk answered after several heartbeats of silence.

Dave gave his brother a blank stare for a moment before a wide grin broke his usually staid face. “Oh my Gl'bgolyb. You have a crush on a courier. You are legitimately pulling the dramatically looking out of the window act and pining over someone.”

Dirk glared at Dave. “You are not too old for me to stick a wet finger in your ear,” he warned.

Dave gave Dirk the most sarcastic 'oh, I'm so scared' expression he could muster. Dirk responded with a rude hand gesture. This was for all intents and purposes a general summary of the majority of their conversations.

“Anyway, that would be pretty damn pathetic and not at all effective. There's no way to guarantee that you'd get the same courier. Are they Derse or Prospit?”

“Prospit.”

Dave snorted. “You are such an idiot. You send a missive, you get a Derse courier. A reply would be Prospit. Or are you _counting_ on the fact that you'd get a reply?”

Dirk gave Dave a miserable look.

“Oh. My. Gl'bgolyb. What's their name, even?”

Dirk stared at Dave, a horrified expression slowly dawning over his face.

“I don't know,” he whispered, and buried his face in a pillow.

Dave threw up his hands. “Dirk Strider, crown prince of Derse, doesn't even think to ask for someone's name. Congratulations, you're currently the biggest idiot I know.”

Dirk groaned, the sound muffled by the pillow he was currently embracing.

Dave let him stew in his own idiocy for a few minutes. It was about damn time. Being an imperial knight was great and all, but when your brother is a crown prince it's a little difficult to measure up to that. Going home to mother and father with your sword and a title doesn't mean much when big brother is going to inherit half a planet someday. He was going to make the little victories count.

At exactly the five minute mark – his internal clock was flawless – he proposed a solution to Dirk's little predicament.

“You do realize that the post office logs every arrival and departure, right?” he drawled. “As in every detail. Date, time, name of the courier...”

Dirk's head shot up. “They do?”

Dave was incapable of speaking for a moment, so stricken with the incredible stupidity that just issued forth from his brother's mouth. “How do you not know this shit?”

“I probably did know it at one point, but I have a million other things on my mind these days. From the mundane like making sure we have enough ink pads to the major like, oh, preventing civil war once I become Emperor!”

Dave held up his hands in a gesture of defeat. “Alright, alright. Well, now you know.”

Dirk started to stand up and hesitated. “... isn't that a little creepy, though? Kind of like stalking or something?”

Dave rolled his eyes. “Do you want to know their name or not? It's not like you can just skip over to Prospit and track them down!”

“True.”

Dirk worried his lower lip with his teeth while Dave tapped his fingers against the bedspreads. He wished there was a hard surface nearby. It was unsatisfying without the tapping noise.

“In another minute I'm going to drag you to the post office myself, you stupid bulge-muncher.”

 

 

It was, astonishingly, _not_ raining as Dave and Dirk left the post office.            

“Well, now you know his name,” Dave said, walking backwards in front of his brother. “What are you going to do with this information?”

Dirk shrugged. “I really don't know what I can do with this information. Sending him a letter or something would be forward and invasive. I'm really no better off than I was before this little venture.”

“Except now you know what to moan when you're masturbating,” Dave quipped.

Dirk proceeded to chase him the entire rest of the way back to the palace, sword in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a dreadfully short chapter, because it's kind of a 'bridge' between all the introductions and the main body of the fic. 
> 
> In the societies of Derse/Propsit, all sexual orientations are widely accepted for a variety of reasons. They're small planets with limited resources, they'd want to keep the population within reasonable means. Trolls are all basically pansexual anyway, since their reproduction isn't dependent on physical sex. Rulership isn't based on bloodlines and inheritance. And trolls and humans are bound to fall for each sometimes, and they can't reproduce with each other. All of those factors would create an environment where orientation doesn't really matter.
> 
> Also, for anyone who is curious, [here is a quick diagram](https://flic.kr/p/v6uBLm) of how troll reproduction would work if they have humans in their quadrants.


	4. Don't Play Cards with your Matesprit and Kismesis at the Same Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prospit is within the asteroid belt and therefore closer to the sun (Skaia,) ensuring a more arid atmosphere, while Derse is outside and has a colder, wetter climate. As a result, they're able to produce entirely different crops on the two planets. They have an opposite orbit (Derse clockwise, Prospit counter-clockwise,) and twice a year they align, enabling the transport of agricultural goods.  
> [Have a little diagram](https://flic.kr/p/v6uDFy), because I spend more time on these things than I do actually writing, I swear.
> 
> The science in this is so very lazy, I'm sorry. They have much slower, smaller orbits than Earth. Derse orbits slightly faster than Prospit because it's orbit is larger. So the calender is probably different. I'm giving myself a headache. Here have all this bullshit and just accept it because it somehow works in the canon material.
> 
> Muffled author noises into the distance.
> 
>  
> 
> **EDIT: 8/27/14 - Minor grammatical changes**

The two palaces of Derse were heavy, hulking buildings of dark stone and iron, cutting imposing figures against the often rain-filled sky. In complete contrast, the palace of Prospit was light and airy, with columns supporting wide, open porches, much better suiting the warmer climate. Jake had managed to get lost in all three on multiple occasions.

What was it about royalty and requiring so many rooms? By now he'd worked out the general layout, but it still took him longer to get to the queen's office than he would have liked. Spinning asteroids, often inhabited by space monsters? No problem. Long, confusing hallways with too many doors? Nightmare.

He passed an open porch he was pretty sure he'd seen before on this particularly visit. But this time it was inhabited with several people playing a card game.

“Hello, Jake!” one of them called, waving cheerfully. “Follow this hall down to the large vase with the geometric patterns, turn left, then your first right, and it's the large door at the end,” he explained, assuming that he was here to see the queen.

“Thanks, John,” Jake replied, grateful for his help.

“Don't mention it!”

He was distantly related to John Egbert, one of the Prospitian heirs, - something like second cousins, or maybe third. Which always confused people because they shared a lot of physical characteristics. They would proceed to explain that _most_ of their family had unruly dark hair, bright colored eyes, and rather prominent front teeth. As well as an unfortunate familial trait of poor eyesight. Only about three of their family members weren't cursed to wear spectacles. And Jake rather suspected that one of those was faking it, because she often squinted.

He came across the large vase John had told him about. It was hard to miss, 'large' was a bit of an understatement. The decorated ceramic vessel was taller than him. He took the instructed left down the side hallway. Now this looked familiar from the last time he was here. This was the 'portrait hallway,' depicting large paintings of previous monarchs.

He always marveled at how evenly divided it was between Alternian and Terran, as well as male and female. The blind oracles ensured that everything was equal. Thank goodness for that. He couldn't imagine living on Derse, where the relations between the two races were still very tenuous. Here, humans in quadrants was common. John had two Alternians putting him in theirs! Jake was friends with Alternians, but he couldn't imagine being in a romantic relationship with them of any sort. It required a different mindset. Although... he was pretty sure John's interactions with his kismesis weren't exactly traditional. They often acted more like squabbling children than true rivals.

Finally, he arrived at the 'large door.' Again, an understatement. It stopped just a foot short of the high, vaulted ceiling. However, he knew that it was well hung on it's hinges, and when instructed to 'come in' after knocking, he pushed them open with ease.

Jake gave a low bow to the queen sitting at her desk. She was an Alternian, a petite olive blood with a snub nose and a round face that was just starting to succumb to fine lines and wrinkles.

“You requested me, your majesty?” he asked.

The queen rose and smiled. “Ah, yes! Jake English, isn't it?”

He nodded.

“You may call me Queen Ilanah. I have a task for you. Or rather a permanent position, should you choose to accept it.”

Jake listened, patient but eager.

“You hold a current record among the couriers for fastest delivery time, isn't that right?”

“Yes your maj- er, Queen Ilanah.”

What was with royalty asking him to refer to them in such casual terms lately? He was just a courier!

Ilanah beamed. “Excellent. I would like to hire you as a singular royal messenger.”

“I... beg your pardon?”

Ilanah motioned for him to sit as she took a seat herself.

“You may not have heard this, but as of right now Derse is on shaky ground politically. Well, even more so than it usually is. Emperor Justin's health is failing, which may lead to Prince Dirk ascending at a younger age than usual. This could very well further embitter Prince Eridan to his Terran counterpart. Dirk needs to know that he has the support of Prospit. That is where you come in. I need a way to be in constant communication with the crown prince, without having to summon a courier from the post office. With Prospit and Derse almost at their farthest points, speed is of the essence. You would serve me and only me, unlike the myriad of councilors and officials who also have rights to royal missives. You would also come live in the palace, so that you could be on call at all times.”

Jake blinked, stunned. Talk about a sudden and extreme promotion! Being a courier was an imperial position, of course, but this would mean being directly employed to the queen herself!

“Well, do you accept, Mr. English?”

“Absolutely!” Jake exclaimed, before flushing upon the realization he was perhaps a little _too_ enthusiastic.

The queen just laughed. “Excellent! I'll send someone to collect your things. In the meantime -” she handed him a letter cylinder “- this needs to get to Derse straightaway.”

Jake stood and accepted the cylinder, giving Ilanah another low bow. “Yes, your majesty!”

“Dismissed.”

He tucked the cylinder into the letter pouch sewn into the back of his belt as he walked out the door. He mentally reversed the directions he'd John had given him earlier. The porch where he'd encountered him led out to the South Gardens. From there he could take the South Gate out into the main city and head to the post office.

By the time he reached the porch, the card game had devolved into a shouting match, the cards scattered across the ground. He rolled his eyes. This is why you don't play cards with your matesprit and your kismesis at the same time.

“What did the queen want?” John asked, pulling away from the two Alternians who were shouting obscenities at each other.

“I'll tell you about it when I get back!” Jake said, hurrying down the gravel path. “I'm on a delivery right now!”

“Oh, alright! I'll talk to you later, then! For fuck's sake, knock it off you two! Karkat, I promise that I hate you just as much as I pity Vriska! I swear, no one is getting slighted here!”

Jake rolled his eyes. _Quadrants_.

 

The asteroid belt was dark, cold, and vast. Jake loved it. There was no greater thrill than catching a brass bar with one of his grappling hooks and swinging himself through an ever-narrowing open space between the massive space rocks. It was silent and he was alone. Well, except for the occasional monster, which he either avoided or dispatched as quick as possible.

Although if he was going to be honest, he much preferred to avoid them. The monsters were far more deadly than the treacherous landscape of the asteroid belt. Some other couriers loved confrontations with the monsters, and even took 'trophies' in the form of teeth or claws. While he would love to get his hands on such a trophy, the risk wasn't worth it in his mind. He planned to be at this job much longer than most of his peers. Jake could count the number of monsters he'd faced on one hand, all no larger than a Terran lion or tiger.

Luckily, he hadn't so much as seen hide nor hair of any on this run. They were often more abundant at different times of the year than others. Perhaps they hibernate or something of the sort? Someone braver than him should look into studying the things, maybe they could figure out a way to eliminate them for good. That wasn't a bad idea. Maybe he should suggest it to the queen. Scientific types always were a tad crazy. They wouldn't think twice about tracking down terrible monsters in the name of research.

Then he was struck with the fact that his dear cousin Jade was one of those 'scientific types.' He didn't want to go planting any daft thoughts in her head. Better to keep quiet about it. He could deal with a few monsters if it meant keeping Jade safe.

She was the closest thing to a true family he had; due to a single unfortunate accident, they'd become orphans at the same time. Thankfully, he'd already been employed at the post office, even though he wasn't a full courier yet. So he'd been able to take her in as her legal guardian. Now she worked at a florists and did some mechanical tinkering on the side. They worked hard and lived within reasonable comfort.

She'd most likely be grateful that he was moving into the palace, however temporary the situation was. Their small apartment had been fine for a teenager and a child, but it was getting a little cramped for two adults. Especially ones who both had hobbies that involved collecting things. There wasn't a surface in the place that wasn't covered in half-finished gizmos or odd 'artifacts.' With him out of the way, she might be able to finish some of her projects. He was especially interested in her design for better grappling hook launchers.

Jake fitted himself between yet another small gap, and the asteroids spun on behind him. He'd covered some decent distance in all his absent pondering. He could already see Derse in the distance, looking violet under a heavy cloud cover. It was rather beautiful, if a little more dour than Prospit. The other planet shone yellow from the wheat fields covering most of the agricultural areas.

Everything looked beautiful from the asteroid belt. Nothing but stars as far as the eye could see. Jake could stay out here forever. But he had a job to do, no time for stargazing! He was going to get this message to the crown prince – to Dirk, he realized – and he was going to do it in a timely fashion! Perhaps they would have time for a quick cup of tea and some conversation afterward.

He didn't know why, but he felt a strange sense of obligation to befriend the prince. The more he thought about it, the more perfect the arrangement seemed. With him running personal deliveries to him from the queen, he'd be seeing a lot more of Dirk. And with what he'd been told by Queen Ilanah about the Emperor, the blond certainly needed a friend!

Truth to be told, he'd always felt a little suffocated in 'normal' friendships. He preferred his own company to that of any others, even Jade. She was family, and she understood. Friends didn't accept that quite as readily. A friendship from a distance was the best option. Smiling to himself at how well he'd managed to sort out the situation, he continued on, the violet orb in the distance growing ever closer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time to add side-ships into the tags? Time to add side-ships into the tags.
> 
> I apologize for how explanation-heavy this chapter was. My true strength is dialogue, and when you're writing a character like Jake who is often solitary, euuurgh...
> 
> If you want to imagine the courier system of transportation as something like 3DMG, go right ahead, because that was totally what was in my head as I was writing this. Zip, zip, zip...


	5. Moirails, Matesprits, Spies, and Tea Parties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When the Alternians escaped whatever apocalypse they suffered, they didn't have time to take any lusii with them - they barely managed to rescue a mother grub - not to mention Prospit and Derse are far too small to have giant child-raising monsters roaming around. So, grubs are tended by both Alternians and Terrans, it's a pretty standard nursemaid job, and then once the wrigglers pupate the Alternian children are adopted by matesprit pairs or even Terran couples who want children and can't have them.  
> I keep getting praise for my world-building but like I don't actually plan out half of this stuff? It's more like 'oh shit I need an explanation for _____.' But thank you anyway?
> 
> **EDIT: 8/28/14 - Minor grammatical changes**

“I know you think you're being stealthy, but you keep giggling and spoiling it.”

Dirk didn't need to turn around to know that the girl attempting to sneak up on him slumped forward, dejected.

“You could at least have pretended!” she protested.

He rolled his eyes as he turned to face his would-be assailant. “Hello, Roxy. What brings you here?”

“Business, unfortunately.” She deposited herself in a nearby chair in the most unladylike way possible, despite the elegant blue velvet gown she was dolled up in. Roxy Lalonde was the spymaster general for the Terran half of Derse, a position which was “not as exciting as you might think.” She was always complaining about the uncomfortable clothes and boring meetings. Dirk sympathized.

“I was just at a tea party with Nepeta and Feferi.”

Nepeta was Roxy's Alternian counterpart, and even though they were often spying on each other, they had managed to become good friends. Feferi was Nepeta's matesprit, and the two were inseparable.

“And?” Dirk prompted.

“I snagged some juicy gossip that might pique your interest.” She swung her feet over the arm of the chair. “I don't know if I should tell you, though.”

Although conveying information was Roxy's job, she always treated these situations like a game of I know something you don't know. He suspected that satisfaction was one of the reasons Roxy enjoyed her job so much, despite how much she complained about it.

Dirk drummed his fingers on the arm of his own chair, waiting for Roxy to present some kind of 'deal.'

She didn't keep him waiting long. “Alright, I'll tell you, but only if you promise to accompany me to a little soiree this evening.”

He sighed softly. Roxy was always dragging him to society events, claiming he needed to get out of the palace and do something fun. And he knew she also liked having him with her. Despite the many times he told her she was family to him, he felt as though there was a part of her still holding out hope for something to happen between them. It made him feel awful but there wasn't a thing he could do to change it. He just indulged her as much as he could without leading her on.

“Deal.”

Roxy brightened and sat up in the chair proper. “Well, my sources say Eridan has been trying to rekindle his pale relationship with Feferi. Since my source _is_ Feferi, I can guarantee the accuracy of this rumor.”

The two had been moirails a while ago, but Feferi broke it off on the grounds that dealing with him was rather exhausting. He had a well-known reputation for being demanding and melodramatic.

“He's always doing that. Everyone knows he's waxing red for her but since she's taken in that quadrant, he's after whatever he can get.”

“It's different this time. He's been more insistent. Saying he needs her 'support.'”

Well, that was interesting. Why would someone as influential as a crown prince need the 'support' of a common healer? Unless it was some kind of emotional support? Was he in some kind of emotional distress? Well, more emotional distress than usual.

Dirk couldn't fathom what Emperor Elidyr had seen in him when he'd chosen Eridan as his successor. While the violet-blood had lofty opinions of himself, Dirk couldn't see anything about him that indicated 'leadership potential.' But what did he know? He'd never spoken to him personally. Maybe he should rectify that, now that he thought about it. He made a mental note to put that down on his to-do list. Socializing with the Alternian prince might be all that would be required to ease his temperament towards him.

Dirk almost laughed out loud. As if anything was ever that easy.

His internal amusement must have shown on his face, because Roxy raised an eyebrow at him.

“Just thinking of something. What were you saying?”

“That was about all the information I got out of them. They started telling me all about their plans to adopt a newly-pupated Alternian and that's all they would talk about for the rest of the visit.”

“Ah.”

Feferi and Nepeta were useful sources, but when they were together they tended to get a little fluff-headed. It was kind of precious, considering that Feferi was a fuchsia-blood. Prior to their relocation to Prospit and Derse, they were the most powerful of the Alternian hemospectrum caste, the singular ruling class. And Nepeta was known to be ruthless in a fight despite her petite stature.

Roxy sighed, lounging in the chair looking almost as boneless as a cat. “I also never want to see another seafood dish in my life. Even the sweets tasted fishy.”

Dirk snorted and the blonde pinned him with a severe look. The crown prince should be above 'seadwellers taste like fish' jokes.

“Are you being immature?”

“Yes.”

She groaned and rubbed her temple. “ _Boys_. I'm going to seek out some more intelligent company. Meet me at the main hall at six, and don't wear anything over-the-top, but not something shabby, either.”

“Yes, mother,” Dirk replied in a sarcastic tone as she sashayed out of the room, the velvet train of her ground making a quiet rasp against the carpeting.

She made a rude gesture at him before vanishing through the door.

He sighed and stood. Sometimes they'd have conversations like that, easy and flowing, punctuated with some casual snark, just like he could have with Dave and Rose. But other times there was a tension between them fraught with unrequited affection. He loved Roxy like family, nothing more.

As he walked to his office he pushed the matter to the back of his mind. He had more important things to worry about, such as the information Roxy had passed on to him. And the fact that he now had to get all his work for the day done before six.

 

What could 'support' mean? Dirk sat down at his desk and began sorting through paperwork, turning different possibilities over in his head. Suppose it was political – what kind of political power did Feferi wield? She was a healer, and often worked charity cases. Did Eridan think he was that unpopular among the Alternian subjects? In such a position he might want someone well-loved by the common folk on his side.

With what Dirk knew about the violet-blood's personality, a charity worker for a moirail most likely wouldn't cut it. He tapped his finger against the surface of the desk in agitation, and it took him a moment to realize that someone was actually knocking on his office door.

“Come in,” Dirk called, shoving some of the papers to the side so he wouldn't look quite so much like a schoolboy caught avoiding him homework.

The door opened and a courier in Prospit yellow stepped in with a bow. No, not just a courier. Jake. Dirk's breath caught in his throat as his stomach did some stupid and childish fluttery things. He forced the feeling away. It was unprofessional.

“Oh, hello Jake,” he said in the most normal voice he could manage.

“Hello Dirk!” Jake replied with a grin, and Dirk's stomach did the fluttery thing again. Goddammit.

With more flourish than was necessary, Jake presented a message cylinder to him. Their fingertips brushed as the polished brass canister passed between their hands. Dirk prayed to the horrorterrors in desperate hope that he wasn't visibly blushing. This crush was so troublesome. He had a calm and collected composure to maintain.

“Queen Ilanah told me about Emperor Justin, and the possibility of conflict with Prince Eridan,” Jake explained as Dirk removed the letter from the canister. He glanced up at the courier in surprise. Why would the Prospitian queen let him in on rather sensitive royal information?

Jake seemed to sense his confusion, because he continued to expound upon the situation. “She hired me as a direct messenger for her alone, in the case of anything drastic happening, Prospit can immediately respond with aid if needed. So you'll be seeing a lot more of me, sorry about that!”

This was the best and worst possible situation at the same time. Of course he wanted to see Jake regularly. But that meant even more possible instances of embarrassing himself.

“That's nothing to apologize for,” Dirk said smoothly, keeping his eyes on the letter. In essence, it just went into further detail of what Jake had already given a brief overview of for him.

Jake cleared his throat and he looked up. The courier was rubbing the back of his head and looking uncomfortable. Dirk tried to ignore the idiotic hopeful fantasies that sprang to mind unbidden.

“I was thinking,” he began, “since I'll be around fairly often, perhaps... we could be friends? Not that I'm implying that you need me as a friend! It's just... the things you said in our last conversation. And you seem like a decent chap that I'd be right pleased to call a chum of mine! Er, and what with the issues with the Emperor - I know if I was under that sort of stress, I'd like a friend to lean on every so often. So! What do you say?”

Dirk stared at Jake for a moment, his breathing shallow and his throat tight. Friends. He was such a fool. He forced himself to put on a small smile.

“I would be delighted to be your friend, Jake. You seem like a 'decent chap' yourself. Would you like to join me for some tea after I write a reply?”

“Most certainly!”

Jake beamed, obviously pleased. Dirk suppressed a sigh.

 

After an admittedly-pleasant tea with the courier, Dirk bid him farewell as he returned to the post office with his message. After his office door clicked shut, he leaned back against it with a quiet groan.

Friends. It was more than he could have hoped for, but every time Jake repeated the word, it hurt. He'd spent the last few weeks pathetically pining over him, and he wanted to be friends. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, fighting against the tightness in his chest. This was stupid. They barely knew each other. They never would have even had a conversation beyond the exchange of letters if not for Rose's sneaky insinuations that Jake was somehow 'fated' to be relevant to him.

Fated. Of course.

He hit the back of his head against the solid wood door. Whatever Rose had foreseen had nothing to do with his crush. It was still fate, but just a 'friend in a time of need.' He was a complete idiot. After a moment of allowing himself to wallow in self-pity, he pushed away from the door and returned to his desk. There was still work to be done, and he had already wasted about an hour with Jake.

He couldn't help but keep brooding in the back of his mind as he handled documents. Friends was better than nothing, and perhaps once he got to know Jake better, his crush would dissipate. They could be completely incompatible for all he knew. It was in his best interest to just get over it as quick as possible so he didn't poison the budding friendship with his romantic inclinations. Jake was right, he did need a friend. And he didn't want to create the same stifling atmosphere between them that he had with Roxy thanks to her interest that he couldn't return.

That was the logical and sensible thing to do. It didn't make it stop hurting, though. He scrubbed at his face roughly with his hand. Logic also said that he wasn't going to get over it in an instant. So it hurt; he had to accept that hurt and move on naturally. It was tempting to cling to that hurt, because it was at least something, but that would be even more detrimental to their friendship. It would lead to bitterness and resentment. And he really did want to be friends with Jake.

He smacked himself in the forehead with the palm of his hand when he realized he was trying to read a particular document upside-down. There was plenty of time to stew over the courier later. It was a given that he'd lay awake thinking about him, along with dozens of other things he was stressing over, until the wee hours of the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It suddenly occurred to me that I never said how old the characters are, so for anyone who is curious - Dirk is nineteen, Dave is eighteen, they're 'Irish twins' (eleven months apart,) Rose is eighteen also, she's two months older than Dave, Roxy is twenty-one, Jake is twenty-three, and Jade is seventeen.


	6. Emperor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this isn't like six whole months late or anything. I am so sorry.
> 
> After Christmas was over I got extremely sick and spent like three weeks curled up on a couch, drinking tea and reading Percy Jackson. Then I was frantically making cosplays for two conventions I had in a single month. After that I had final projects for school. Then I joined the HSWC as the DirkJake friendleader which basically gobbled up all extra time I had that wasn't spent working on cosplays for Otakon. Phew. Plus I was kind of holding out hope for a proper beta reader. At some point – hopefully soon – I will go through and edit this fic to make it a little more coherent and in-character. But I've sort of accepted it for the self-indulgent trash heap that it is. Whatevs.
> 
> I'll try to keep to a more regular schedule from now on, but probably not one as strict as every week. Bi-weekly updates is a little more realistic, and definitely no update until after Otakon. 
> 
> The Latin phrase translates to 'bread and circuses,' and it's a well-known saying referring to the fact that the general populace will not revolt so long as they have food and entertainment. It worked spectacularly well for the Romans, really.
> 
> [This](http://i.imgur.com/2nG8fvn.jpg) is the dress that Roxy is wearing, in case anyone else is a historical fashion nerd like me.

Roxy played absently with one of the puffed sleeves of her gown and smiled vapidly. All around her people milled and chattered. Her attention appeared to be on nothing else but the handsome prince beside her, and that was exactly the way she wanted it. People never said anything interesting if they thought someone was listening. She made certain to consistently encourage the idea that she was a stupid lovestruck girl who was only interested in parties and fancy dresses. If people underestimated her then it was easier to do her job.

“You're looking a bit like a sourpuss this evening,” she said to Dirk, prodding his elbow.

She prodded it right off the edge of the table and his face nearly fell into his soup.

“I've just got a lot on my mind,” he said defensively.

Roxy clicked her tongue but didn't push the issue, choosing to silently eat her own soup instead. Of course she knew why he was being morose and sullen, but he didn't need to know that yet. Let him believe he still had secrets. She had to bite her tongue to keep from giggling out loud. He somehow thought only Rose could see through people. While she didn't have her cousin's mystic powers, her entire livelihood revolved around ferreting out _everyone's_ secrets. There was very little that went on that she didn't know about.

It was rather entertaining, really. The future emperor was surrounded by people who were all perfectly capable of picking him apart. Which was probably for the best, really. He'd get too full of himself otherwise. Roxy considered it her civic duty to the people to ensure that the crown prince remained humble. Derse already had one arrogant and entitled prince.

Once she finished her soup – and Dirk had still barely touched his – she tugged him to his feet by his arm.

“Come dance with me,” she demanded. “You'll get out of practice, and that would be such a tragic waste.”

Dirk sighed but complied, falling in rhythm in the middle of a step without hesitation.

 

He really was such a fantastic dancer. There were so many things about him that could easily make her pretense of being completely infatuated with him a reality. He was kind and honest and responsible and ever so handsome. She allowed herself one moment of indulgence in the wild fantasy of her childhood that they'd someday end up together before she set it aside. It was never going to happen that way, and she'd mostly accepted that fact. Still, a girl couldn't help but dream. Especially when Dirk really was such a perfect Prince Charming. For the most part. His sense of responsibility bordered on self-centered and prideful. She and Rose would have to work on that.

The song shifted to one with a faster rhythm, and she put aside her machinations for Dirk's character building and just enjoyed dancing with such a skilled partner.

A few songs later, Roxy decided that Dirk had been allowed to stew in silence for long enough. It was time to needle him a little about everything he didn't know that she knew.

“So how are things with your pet courier?” she asked as Dirk effortlessly whirled her under his arm.

To his credit, he didn't miss a step, although he looked over at her with a shocked expression. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Must we have this conversation again?” she demanded in exasperation. “You can't pay me to gather information and expect to keep secrets. I know all about him. It's not as if you've been especially subtle about it. You locked yourself in your bedroom for three days.”

Dirk pursed his lips, obviously considering how to respond. Roxy waited patiently as they glided across the marble floor.

“And that was rather childish of me,” he finally said.

She snorted, unladylike, but she didn't give half a whit about that. “You don't say,” she commented dryly.

“Things are fine, since there really is no thing,” Dirk continued as if she hadn't said anything. Rude.

“But you want there to be a thing,” she pressed.

He made a pained expression and she almost felt badly for assailing him so. Almost.

“Don't you?” she urged.

“I want a lot of things, Roxy. And most of them won't happen. I want Justin to live a full and healthy life. I want my reign to be free of conflict so I can focus on improving the lives of the the people. I want the people I care about to always be happy. You don't needle me incessantly about those things.”

Roxy pursed her lips and made a rude noise, causing an older lady nearby to look over in shock. Oh dear. The poor thing could have a heart attack from such a thing at her age.

“You're such a little choirboy it's rare that you do something gossip-worthy!” she pouted. “Not to mention you deserve to have someone you care about by your side.”

“So do you,” he murmured in response, and that hit a little too close to home.

She saw the guilt in his face right away and sighed. This is one of those cases that he took on so much responsibility that he made every damn situation _all about him_. Even though this entire conversation was already about him. Great horrorterrors this boy was soooooo aggravating sometimes.

“I hardly see how that's at all relevant to this conversation,” she dismissed. “Now then. Are you going to try to pursue something with him?”

Dirk made an indecisive noise. “I don't really think that would be appropriate,” he finally said. “And it would put our current friendship at risk.”

Roxy was about to reply when a footman rushed onto the dance floor and began urgently bowing before addressing Dirk.

“Your Highness,” he said, obviously anxious. “I do beg your pardon, but it's Emperor Justin. He has requested your presence immediately.”

Roxy gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. As she looked at Dirk she knew he was thinking the worst, too. All the color had visibly drained from his face.

“I'll come with you,” she said immediately, in a firm tone that offered no room for argument.

Dirk gave a curt nod and they hurried out of the ballroom together.

 

* * *

 

In the carriage Dirk jittered both of his legs anxiously, chewing on the inside of his lip. Roxy gently laid one hand on his knee.

“I just...” his voice broke and he tried again. “I just hope we get there in time for me to say goodbye.”

She nodded solemnly. They had known since his selection that Justin was unwell. Sickly even as a child, age and the stress of his position had gradually weakened him to a point where he often spent weeks bedridden. They had all hoped that he'd survive to Dirk's ascension at twenty-seven, but this was clearly not going to be the case. Eight months wasn't even a possibility at this point, let alone eight years.

They passed the rest of the ride in silence, the carriage going as quickly as was safe. Roxy kept her hand lightly on Dirk's knee, knowing he needed the support but wouldn't want an overblown display of it.

 

The palace appeared out of the rain and fog like a hulking creature with far too many glowing eyes. It was both beautiful and imposing, a display of wealth and military might.

Dirk looked as though he might jump out of the carriage and run the rest of the way, despite how silly that might be, so Roxy put a little more pressure on his knee. He glanced at her with a slightly sheepish expression.

“At least this will give me years to smooth things over with Eridan,” he said, trying to view the dire situation with some measure of optimism.

Roxy nodded. Emperor Elidyr was a reasonable man from all she knew about him, despite his bizarre choice of an heir. There was no way he'd allow Eridan to launch an uprising against the Terrans while he was still on the throne.

Eridan wasn't very popular on his own, which was probably why he was seeking Feferi's moiraillegiance again. There was really no other way he'd be able to rouse up enough support among all but the most anti-Terran of the Alternians to depose Elidyr. In Roxy's general knowledge of the population as a whole, which was fairly vast, the majority of Alternians liked their peaceful lives more than they hated Terrans. Which was how most societies worked, really. As long as daily life didn't change too much, people were willing to put up with almost anything. _Panem et circenses._

 

Finally the carriage pulled into the quadrangle of the palace. Dirk was halfway to the door before the wheels fully stopped turning, Roxy close behind him.

“How are you running in that?” he asked her as they hurried down a corridor together.

“Practice,” she answered, a little short of breath.

She was managing to keep up with him, despite being hindered by heels, a corset, and heaps of crinoline. If she was going to be entirely honest with herself, she was a little smug about that fact, although she would much rather be in sensible trousers and a blouse.

The emperor’s private chambers were at the highest point of the palace, with a miniature glass dome like the library, but for the sake of accessibility for the medical assistants, he'd been moved to a smaller set of rooms on the second floor. Roxy's feet in the heels were grateful for having to navigate only one flight of stairs.

Two guards stood on either side of the door to Justin's rooms. They took one look at the two of them, winded and flushed, and opened the door without a word.

Roxy was directly on Dirk's heels and collided with his back when he stopped dead in front of her. She peeked around him and discovered the reason for his sudden halt.

 

Instead of the grim tableau they expected, Justin was sitting up in a chair, fully dressed, reading a book and sipping a cup of tea.

 

“Ah, Dirk, I'm glad you're here,” he said pleasantly, setting down the tea. “Oh, and Roxy, hello! Were you at a party or something of the sort? I am terribly sorry for calling you here with such urgency, then! I was under the impression you were in the palace.”

Dirk opened and closed his mouth a few times uselessly. Roxy was feeling as similarly stricken as Dirk looked.

“You were... I thought... How are you feeling?” Dirk finally managed.

“Much better, actually,” Justin explained. “Which is the reason I've called you here. Considering my recent bouts and the increasing severity, I doubt this is going to last. So I have decided to promptly retire.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quadrangle is an inner courtyard of a fortified structure, usually a castle. I could have just said inner courtyard but... quadrangle is an infinitely cooler word. It's worth 21 points in Scrabble. 
> 
>  
> 
> The classes were converted to roles in the story as follows – Prince is obviously a direct transfer (Dirk and Eridan,) as well as Heir (John) and Knight (Dave and Karkat.) Both Thief and Rogue translate to Spymaster (Roxy, Nepeta, and Vriska.) Seer is Oracle (Rose and Terezi,) and Page is Courier (Jake.) Witch was a little trickier, and I didn't narrow it down to one specific occupation, but rather ones that involved 'fixing.' (Feferi is a healer, Jade is a gardener and does mechanical tinkering.)
> 
> The Aspects I couldn't really include without making everything triply complicated, except for in a few cases (Rose, Terezi, Vriska, and Feferi.) And even at that they're very vague and subtle.
> 
> Following this, there are a few characters that will have very small roles or definitely not be included in this fic at all -
> 
> Aradia and Jane. They're both maids, and therefore would be servants. They might get brief cameos but that's about it.  
> Tavros. He's also a Page, and therefore would be a Courier, so he might get a brief cameo as well, but there's no reason for him to have anything other than a quick mention.  
> Equius. He's an Heir, but a Derse dreamer. He doesn't fit into the caste system I've created.  
> Sollux. Because he has dual dream selves, I can't decide what planet to put him on.  
> Gamzee. I probably could work out a cameo for him but I don't really want to bother. He's a villain character and I don't need another villain. Plus I just don't like him. Whatever.  
> Any of the Dancestors/Ancestors/Guardians/Sprites. They really don't have a place in the story.
> 
>  
> 
> For the sake of simplicity, I'm ignoring the fact that blood color correlates with lifespan. It's complicated and would be difficult to work around the caste system. Fuchsia bloods can live for thousands of years. That's way too cumbersome to work into a story like this. Also the blood specific psychic powers are being reduced to a more manageable level. Cobalt bloods are good at persuading and reading people, but not to the actual level of mind manipulation. Rust and mustard bloods don't have any powers whatsoever. Brown bloods are naturally good with animals, but they can't communicate with them.


	7. Brotherly Love (and Aggravation)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was giving me so much trouble until I changed it from a Dirk chapter to a Dave chapter and poof. All the problems disappeared. Thank you Dave bby I don't appreciate you enough. Now I just... have to figure out what I'm doing with the next chapter...

Three days after Justin’s little announcement, Dirk was still kind of in shock. The emperor hadn’t made the information public just yet, wanting to get as many preparations out of the way as possible beforehand. The fewer people that knew, the less likely that Eridan would catch wind of it. So far only a small group of palace attendants as well as Dave, their parents, Roxy, and Rose knew. People were bound to catch on that something was up, though, if Dirk didn’t stop wandering around the palace like a zombie. So Dave decided to administer some brotherly love to help him wrap his mind around it.

In the form of beating the shit out of him with a wooden sword.

It was rare for Dave to be able to land this many hits on his brother, which was testament to Dirk’s current mental state. It wasn’t until Dave ‘defeated’ him for the twelfth time in a row that finally the large bruises blooming across his bare torso managed to wake him up enough to actually start fighting back properly.

“Welcome back to the land of the living,” Dave said with a crooked grin. “Got tired of losing already?”

“I hope you’re enjoying my brief presence, as you won’t be here much longer,” Dirk retorted, landing a rather vicious swing to his side.

Dave winced. Fuck. Ow. Maybe taunting him wasn’t the best of ideas. Luckily he was saved from further suffering by a polite voice saying - “Um, I hate to interrupt, but…”

Dave turned to locate the source of the unfamiliar voice that just rang across the practice yard. He flinched slightly, expecting a sword against his neck for turning his back on his opponent, but it never came. Not even getting a chance to see who had just spoken, he swiveled his head back to Dirk curiously.

Dirk was purposely standing up straighter, shoulders thrown back a little, with the hand not holding his sword lightly resting on one hip. It was the most overblown display of ‘act casual but also sexy’ he’d ever witnessed in his entire life. Who in the hell was he showing off for?

Dave returned his attention towards the other person in the yard, who was now close enough to make out details. Dark hair, glasses, Prospit courier uniform. Oh. _Oh_. He tried and failed spectacularly to suppress a sly smirk. So _this_ was the object of Dirk’s rather overblown and desperate affections.

“I’m guessing you’re Jake?” he asked in an overly sweet voice.

Dirk cleared his throat warningly.

“Why yes, how did you know?” Jake asked, visibly surprised.

“My brother has told me _aaaaaallll_ abou-ow!” Dave glared at Dirk, who had just lightly cuffed him upside the head.

What was the point of having an older sibling if you couldn’t tease him about his crush?

“I’m guessing you have an important message?” Dirk said quickly, still doing the dumb posturing thing of ‘look at my muscles because I am shirtless and glistening with sweat are you aroused?’ Eugh.

“Actually, I think _you_ have one for me to take back to the queen,” Jake replied, seemingly unphased by said exposed and glistening muscles.

Dave glanced at Dirk. How was his brother not picking up on the fact that this guy was straighter than an imperial flagpole?

“I do?” Dirk asked, confused.

“The queen received a message from Emperor Justin requesting her ‘most trusted’ courier for some ‘sensitive information.’ I… oh. I probably should have gone to him, huh?” Jake chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess I just got used to taking messages to you. Which is kind of dumb I mean I’ve only done it twice but that’s kind of what the queen hired me for and uh, yeah, I’m just gonna, go find the emperor…”

Okay, maybe not quite that straight. Or just really socially awkward.

Dirk waved a hand dismissively. “I think I know what it is, actually. But to be sure, we should probably go see the Emperor. Come with me.”

Jake nodded and trailed after him. Dirk didn’t bother grabbing his shirt on his way out. Wow. Dave shook his head, chuckling. His brother had it _bad_. The locking himself away for three days was a pretty good indicator but _damn_ , now that he’d actually seen them interact it was even more apparent. He’d never seen Dirk act so blatantly infatuated before. He gazed at Jake the way Rose looked at sculptures of eldritch horrors. Which was both hilarious and alarming.

Quietly, he kind of actually hoped that something worked out between them. Dirk was selfless to the point of being annoying, and would marry himself to the throne if necessary. A relationship would probably take his mind off how he could possibly solve all the problems in the world the way he thought they would be best solved. Selflessness plus being firmly convinced he had all the answers wasn’t exactly a healthy combination. For himself or anyone else around him. He really needed to get over that, at least a little, before becoming emperor, otherwise it would cause some problems.

Not to mention that Dirk deserved a real and healthy relationship for once. As much as he could be an annoying asshat to him, Dave loved the shit out of his brother and wanted him to be happy. And if Jake was what would make him happy, Dave would do his damndest to make sure Dirk got his happily ever after with the courier of his dreams.

Dave put both of their practice swords away and left the yard, absently mulling over some schemes to get Dirk and Jake together. It was part looking after the older brother he loved and part being a little shit and hassling him. Perfect. That was exactly what his job as a brother was.

He considered the possibility of involving Rose. Messing with people's heads was basically her favorite thing in the world. And he knew she worried about Dirk, too, over both his well-being and his character flaws. That was what family was for, right? They were Dirk's support network.

When Dirk had first been selected as the crown prince, Dave had admittedly been rather resentful. But hey, when you're twelve years old and your big brother is suddenly royalty, you're bound to feel a little left out. Now that he was older he knew he would rather have all his teeth pulled out by an insane purple-blooded troll with rusty pliers in a dirty alley than take Dirk's job. Nothing but headaches and paperwork all day for the next god knows how many years. Emperors were obligated to choose an heir between the fifteenth and thirtieth year of their reign, leaving a decently sized window to find a suitable candidate. Most picked theirs on the earlier end of the scale, worn out from the stress of the position. But Dave figured that Eridan was the sort to cling to power for as long as possible, and Dirk wouldn't trust anyone except himself to deal with him. Such a control freak. Dave was rather glad Dirk had inherited all the 'sense of responsibility' genes. It allowed him to breeze through life with just the bare minimum of commitment to things.

Except for his job as an imperial knight, of course. He took that pretty fucking seriously. He would defend his big brother with his life if it came down to it. Dave frowned slightly when he realized that if Eridan's ascension led to civil war, it might actually come to that.  That would kind of suck.

His walking and mulling eventually led him to the library, where he easily located Rose. He just listened for the sounds of insufferable smugness.

"Hey cuz," Dave greeted. "Wanna play matchmaker?"

Rose's lips quirked and she raised an eyebrow in interest. "You're implying that I haven't already been doing that," she said smoothly.

Dave scowled. Damn! Beaten to the annoying relative punch by his cousin. That was _his_ job as the little brother.

"But I am certainly willing to collaborate with you," Rose continued. "What did you have in mind?"

“Well, well, dearest cousin of mine, let me tell you all about my master plan…”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have MAJOR DRAMATIC EVENTS planned for the future of this fic but I'm not sure if it's time to unveil them yet. What do y'all think? A couple more set up chapters or are you ready for the action to really start in earnest? Some feedback would be awesome in general uvu 
> 
> And don't be shy if you have concrit! I actually _love_ being told what I can change/improve/am doing wrong because I like having very polished work, which can only be achieved through rigorous editing. **TL;DR - be mean to me, I like it.**
> 
> No world-building notes for this chapter! If there's anything you're curious about or feel like needs to be explained in greater detail, comment here or send me an [ask](http://cyansonata.tumblr.com/ask) over on tumblr!


	8. Tea, Lies, Secrets, and Spies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely hate this chapter. I just wanted to get it over with so I could get to more relevant stuff in the next one.

“I can’t believe you’re going to be the emperor in just a few months!” Jake exclaimed.

Dirk hushed him, despite the fact that they were in his private parlor.

They’d just returned from seeing the Emperor - after Dirk had put on proper clothing. There Justin gave Jake all the details on his retirement and Dirk’s imminent ascension. Which was the 'sensitive information' Dirk suspected Justin had requested Jake for.

Looking chastened, Jake dropped his voice to a whisper. "I apologize mate, it's just so exciting!"

Dirk snorted. 'Exciting' was the last word he'd use to describe the events that were currently unfolding. Right now he'd most likely say 'exhausting.' He hadn't gotten a good nights sleep since Justin had told him he was retiring. He indulged himself a momentary fantasy of curling up in bed in Jake's arms. He pushed the thought out of his mind.

Honestly, he didn't understand why he was so attracted to Jake. They barely knew each other. But he felt this inexplicable pull towards him that made it impossible for him to keep him out of his mind. It was kind of annoying. It was all Rose's fault for making him believe that meeting Jake was fate, or something. It seemed as reasonable of an explanation as anything. He’d go and yell at her for it, but she’d just get all smug.

"Say, Dirk," Jake said, rotating his teacup on his saucer. "We'll still be friends once you're emperor, won't we?"

Dirk glanced over at him. 'I was hoping you'd be my consort,' he thought. "Of course," was what he actually said. "I'll be busier, but I'll be sure to take time to visit with you whenever you deliver a message."

Jake sat back a little, looking satisfied. "Oh good. I'd hate to lose a friend so quick! That'd be a poor record, even for me."

Dirk paused halfway to bringing his teacup to his mouth. "Even for you?" he asked.

Jake flushed. "Er. I have something of a reputation for being a less than attentive friend! Often distracted and all that..."

Ah. Dirk nodded and took a sip of his tea. "Well I have no complaints thus far," he told him.

_ Except that your tongue isn't currently in my mouth. _

Jake looked rather pleased at that. “I’ll do my best to keep that streak up, then!”

 

As they enjoyed their tea in companionable silence, Dirk covertly studied Jake. What _was_ it about him? He was physically attractive, of course, although not spectacular. His front teeth were a little too prominent to be conventionally handsome, and his other features weren’t anything unique in particular. He was lean and muscular, but all couriers were, due to the rigors of the job.

“I say, are you staring at me?” Jake said. “Do I have something on my face?” He grabbed a linen napkin and hastily wiped at his mouth, flushing dark red in embarrassment.

“Oh, no, no!” Dirk assured him quickly. “I was just thinking and I suppose I lost track of where I was. Literally lost in thought.” He chuckled.

Jake nodded and grinned. “I know the feeling all too well.”

His cheeks were still a little flushed, and his entire face was lit up with the force of his smile. Oh. Maybe that was why he was so attracted to him. Just looking at him right now was making his heart beat faster.

“You’re staring again,” Jake pointed out.

“This time I was staring,” Dirk confessed. “But only because you have such a cute smile.”

Jake mumbled a ‘thank you,’ looking somewhat uncomfortable, and Dirk realized he’d overstepped his boundaries.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” Although he did mean. “I just rarely see genuine smiles around here. Politics, you know. Everyone is wearing a mask. It’s refreshing.”

Right now he was doing what politicians did best - lie. And Jake was placated by it.

"Oh, right, alright," he said, looking relieved.

And that was like a knife in his heart. Jake had no possible interest him to the point that he was visibly relieved to think that Dirk wasn't interested in him. He hid his expression of disappointment behind his teacup. He needed to get over this crush. It couldn't be more clear that it wasn't going anywhere.

He cleared his throat and set the teacup down. “Well I’m afraid I do have to cut this particular visit short,” he said apologetically. “I already took a good deal of time out of my day to practice with my brother, so I have to get back to work.” This at least was only a partial lie. Fifteen more minutes wouldn't hurt, but he had spent a great deal of time not focused on his duties today.

 

“What did your brother mean, by the way?” Jake asked as he prepared to leave. “About how he’d heard all about me?”

“I mentioned you in passing a few times,” Dirk said. How many lies was he up to now? “Me making new friends is a rare enough of an occurrence that it stuck out in his mind.”

Jake nodded in understanding. “My cousin said much of the same thing when I told her about you! Granted it was also accompanied with the fact that my new friend was none other that one of the crown princes of Derse. That tends to make a fellow a good deal more memorable, if I do say so myself.”

Dirk bid Jake farewell and shut the door to his parlor, sighing as he mentally prepared himself to return to his tasks. Suddenly what Jake had said about his cousin struck him like a cart full of paving bricks. Jake had talked about him to his family member. He smiled. Maybe it wasn’t a completely hopeless crush after all.

 

Not two minutes after he'd closed the door, someone knocked on it frantically. He whirled to yank it open, one hand drifting to the dagger he kept hidden under his waistcoat.

Outside was Roxy, leaning over with her hands on her knees as she panted.

"Holy horrorterrors, Roxy! What's wrong?" Dirk exclaimed.

The blonde held up one finger as she struggled to regain her breath.

"Eridan," she gasped out. "He found out."

Dirk blanched. How the hell had he gotten wind of it so quick? It had only been three days, and everyone had been so careful. Was it a spy? Inside or outside of the palace? He now felt like he couldn't trust anyone.

"Help yourself to some tea," he told Roxy, ushering her inside. She collapsed onto one of the couches, pouring herself a generous cup of tea.

"I have to go catch up with Jake. The queen needs to know about this."


	9. Setting a Record

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started this fic I planned on having a regular update schedule... hahahahahaha ah yes the foolish ambitions of youth.
> 
> So I have no idea what the actual distance between the planets would be. Far enough that mass transport is difficult, but close enough that it’s realistic for an individual to be able to cover it in a few hours. Or that’s because an individual using self-propelled means of transportation is faster than the technology they have for mass transport, or their fuel sources are just that limited? Argh. Science is hard. Forgive me.
> 
> Also FYI I am super terrible at determining what may or may not be triggering content violence wise, etc. A good rule of thumb is that if it’s something that happens in canon material, I’m not going to tag it. And that… kind of covers a lot of stuff on the violence front.

Queen Ilanah looked grim as Jake passed along the news that despite every precaution, Prince Eridan somehow discovered Emperor Justin’s impending retirement.

“Well, this is not an ideal situation,” she said after a long silence.

Jake got the feeling that she wanted to say something a great deal stronger.

“I take it you don’t like the Alterian crown prince, your maj- Queen Ilanah?” he asked with a weak smile.

The queen snorted. “He’s a boorish and self-righteous fool who still clings to the blood caste as if it hadn’t been cast aside eons ago. He must have some potential somewhere under that awful attitude, but I have yet to see it.” She forcefully added a few more lines of scrawling text to the message she was writing to Emperor Justin.

Jake nodded, shuffling his feet. He’d never met the Alternian prince, but by all accounts he wasn't an individual who made for pleasant company.

“Do you think you can handle another run?” the queen asked as she scattered some drying powder across the fresh ink.

Jake hesitated. He’d never attempted three before. Two was the limit for a courier at the peak of physical health. Those who were younger or older often only did one, and sent another courier for the return trip if there was any reply. It might be some kind of record to attempt three… He was tired, but he felt confident that he could manage. He would just rest up on Derse afterward.

“I can,” he declared, extending his hand for the message canister.  

Ilanah beamed. "Excellent. I chose you well, Jake English. Be swift, and be safe."

Jake bowed as he accepted the message and left the queen's presence. He was sure he could handle it, despite his weariness. He'd done this hundreds of times, he didn't even have to think about it anymore.

 

The postal workers raised their eyebrows at him when he entered, suited up for another run.

"Have you lost your mind?" one of them exclaimed. "No one can do three runs!"

"No one _yet_ ," Jake corrected with a grin. "Tie yourselves down, friends, I'm about to set a record!"

The postal workers all shook their heads.

"You're going to get yourself killed is what you're about to do," another courier commented, rolling her eyes. "I hope that message isn't important!"

Jake turned away and frowned. Their comments were rather damaging blows to his confidence. Maybe he should pass the task off to someone else... But the queen was counting on him! And Dirk too! He _could_ do this because he _had_ to. It was the job he the queen trusted him with. He'd see it through.

Shrugging off their disbelief, Jake headed up to the roof and began to climb the ladder.

 

The air grew colder the higher he went, and he was grateful for his thick uniform jacket. On Prospit he'd been sweating, but it kept out the frigid air in space.

He reached the top of the ladder and expertly balanced himself to fire one of his grappling hook guns towards the nearest meteor. The metal embedded itself in the rock and the wire started to rewind. Holding tight to the gun, Jake was lifted off the last solid surface attached to Prospit and into empty air.

Jake went along according to the usual routine, although a little slower than normal. He didn't have the energy to waste on rushing the run. Speed was valuable, which was why the queen chose him, but he figured his trustworthiness was why she wanted him to take this message in particular.

It was still all baffling to Jake. He'd just been adopted into the circle of closest confidence with all these royal persons in such a sudden way. Meeting Dirk had been a fortunate impetus. Remembering the oracle friend the Dersite prince mentioned, Jake wondered if that hadn't been the fated circumstance they'd foreseen. He'd be sure to mention it to him once he arrived. The mystery of it had been giving Dirk some grief from what he'd observed.

Despite Jake's confidence in his own abilities, he felt glad when he neared Derse. He'd never be attempting three runs again. He was exhausted; he might not be able to even take the message all the way to the palace without help. Thank goodness it had been such an uneventful run, with no monsters or rogue meteors.

The next meteor was large, with a broad platform spanning a deep crater. Jake caught the railing and swung himself on, his boots making a loud 'clang' as they collided with the brass surface. Stumbling, he fell to his knees.

"I'll take a short rest," he told himself. "Just to regain my strength."

He closed his eyes, breathing hard. Just a little more to go. He'd be a legend and make a name for himself. And take a very long nap. Maybe have some more of those delicious sandwiches after. He had no idea what was on them, but he’d never eaten anything like it on Prospit. Maybe it was just because it was fancy royal food that he’d never be able to afford himself.

With a sigh, Jake forced himself to stand. He couldn’t  have a nap and sandwiches on this meteor! He strode to the edge of the platform and lined up a shot that would take him to the next meteor with one of his grappling hook guns. His finger was on the trigger when the platform suddenly shook beneath him with the horrible groaning sound of metal under extreme stress. Almost like something heavy had just stepped onto it…

 

Blood running cold, Jake turned around to see a gigantic monster with far too many limbs and a single huge eye that was burning with malice.

 

“Oh. Fuck.”

 

This was the largest monster Jake had ever encountered before. There was no way he’d be able to defeat it, not even on his best day. His only hope would be to outrun it. So far it appeared to be slow and lumbering, so he had a chance. Quickly he faced the edge of the platform again, aiming for the next meteor. The shot would be tricky now that the positions had shifted, but he was a master at this. He could make the shot.

And he would have, too, if not for the fact that the monster revealed that the reason for appearing slow and lumbering was that it was attempting to sneak up on him. Now that the element of surprise was lost, it abandoned stealth and leapt forward, catching Jake’s raised arm along the side with one clawed limb.

Jake cried out as he heard a loud snap from his arm, the grappling hook gun tumbling from his hand to be lost in the crater beneath the platform. Whimpering, he cradled the broken arm close to his chest as he scrambled back as far as he could. This was bad. He could barely think past his panic. Running was impossible with the speed of the monster and one broken arm, and the same with trying to fight. That other courier had been right. He was going to die.

He closed his eyes, trying not to cry. Pain and fear had paralyzed his body and mind. The monster moved closer, it’s single eye blinking. It seemed to recognize that his prey was injured, that it could take it’s time now. Jake trembled. Would anyone even realize he was gone at first? Derse wouldn’t be expecting another message… _Dirk_ wouldn’t be… He’d be leaving him without a friend at the worst possible time. The queen would have to find another trusted courier. And Jade… Poor Jade! She’d already lost so much family. He wished he could have said a proper goodbye to her.

The monster was now so close he could feel it’s hot breath wafting over his face. He curled up, cracking his eyes open to stare into the single eye of the monster.

Single eye…

 

Jake was struck with a sudden idea. If he blinded the thing, maybe he’d have a chance of escaping! He could get at least to the next meteor one-handed. Then he’d just have to hope that another courier came by soon enough to help him get the rest of the way to Derse. It was a slim chance, but it was the only one he had. As fast as he could, he drew one of his real pistols and fired it  into the monster’s only eye. It scrambled back with a roar of pain. Jake got to his feet, running to the other side of the platform. The next meteor had moved out of range, he’d have to wait until another took it’s place. He tried to steady his breathing, in case the monster could hear especially well.

The monster was still thrashing around in pain, it’s foremost limbs scrabbling towards it’s useless eye. Black blood dripped down, splattering across the platform. Jake narrowly avoided it’s long, spiked tail. He jumped over it and landing again with a loud clatter of his boots against the metal. The monster froze, it’s head whipping around to face him. Oh shit. It began to slink forward and Jake edged away, trying to be as silent as possible. Blindly, the monster lunged for him. It succeeded in slashing it’s claws against his thigh, drawing three shallow wounds. He hissed in pain but managed to elude further attacks, huddling against the corner of the platform.

Pistol still clutched in his hand, Jake tried not to jostle his other arm too much as he waited for the meteors to move into favorable positions. Blood oozed from the cuts on his leg, but he ascertained that it wasn't serious. The biggest concern would most likely be infection. Once he got to the next meteor he could pour antiseptic from his little kit all over it.

The monster was standing still and slowly tipping it's head back and forth, trying to listen for it's prey. Jake held his breath. The monster began to prowl across the platform, growling. Closing his eyes, Jake prayed to the horrorterrors that he'd make it out of this alive. The monster approached where he was standing, and he tiptoed away. His footfalls still weren't quiet enough, because with a snarl the monster charged. It pinned him down to the platform under one claw.

Jake screamed in pain, his broken arm trapped under the monster's weight and the claws puncturing his chest. His eyes watered. This was definitely the end for him. Black blood from the monster's eye splattered on to his face and he turned away to see that his other hand with the pistol in it was still free. If he was going to die here, he wasn't going to go down without a fight. He raised the pistol and pressed it against the monster's throat before pulling the trigger.

There was an explosion of flesh and blood as the fleshy part of the monster's neck was ripped apart with the bullet. The weight pinning Jake down let up as the monster scrambled backwards. Jake emptied the rest of the chambers into it before drawing his other pistol, his hand shaking as he tried to aim.

The platform shook as the monster stumbled around in pain, making pathetic wheezing sounds. Jake realized that he must have blow a hole through it's windpipe. He felt a bubble of hysterical laughter rise until it burst out of his mouth. If only he hadn't been such a coward in the first place and tried to fight this thing he wouldn't be dying here. With a groan the monster collapsed, it's rattling breaths slowing until they stopped completely. The monster was dead.

 

Jake’s laughter trailed off into soft sobs and he flopped backwards. Everything hurt too much. From the spreading dampness, the gashes in his chest were pretty deep and bleeding heavily. He should do something about that. But he felt so heavy and tired. Maybe if he just closed his eyes and rested for a little while he’d feel better. That seemed like a good idea.

The edges of his vision started to fuzz and darken. Distantly he heard someone calling his name. Jade? Had he overslept? Jake tried to tell her that he needed five more minutes because he didn’t feel well but his tongue was too heavy. The voice grew nearer and he realized it wasn’t Jade. It was a deeper voice than that, one that wasn’t quite so familiar. Another courier, an Alternian he’d met once or twice with an odd hairstyle and large horns. Just then those horns appeared in his narrowing field of vision as Tavros leaned over him.

“Jake English?” he asked, worried. “I don’t think you really ought have tried to take on that monster by yourself. Can you stand?”

Jake groaned in response.

“I’ll, uh, take that as a no,” Tavros said. “Don’t worry, I’m not about to let a fellow courier die out here.”

Jake groaned again, unable to manage anything else, before his eyes fluttered shut and he fell into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Yeah. Uh. Sorry?


	10. Pride Comes Before a Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Abandon all hope of regular updates. I have lost faith in myself. This chapter is embarrassingly short for the time it took to write. I'm ashamed of myself. If you need me I'll be in my shame corner. 
> 
> Also it's come to my attention that the links posted in previous chapter notes are broken. I'll fix those... eventually... Yeah.

When Jake awoke, he was in an unfamiliar place with no memory of how he got there.

With a groan he tried to sit up. As soon as he did, pain coursed through his chest and forced him to flop back down.

His mind racing, he tried to remember how he’d gotten here and what was wrong with him. He looked around the room for some kind of clue. Outside the window was a view of a dark and drizzly sky. This was Derse, then. Hadn’t he been headed for Prospit after having tea with Dirk? Everything in the room was white and very sterile looking, so he supposed it was an infirmary. He must be injured somehow, which would explain the pain. He looked down at himself. One arm was in a cast.

His memories came flooding back at that. The queen trusting him with another run, the fight with the monster, and Tavros finding him as he lay there on the meteor expecting to die. The other courier must have managed to carry him the rest of the way to Derse. He’d saved his life. What did you do to thank someone for that big of a favor?

 

“Oh glub, you’re awake!”

Jake looked up to see a tall Alternian girl about his own age enter the room. Dressed head to toe in a crisp, white uniform with her long black hair tied up, he supposed she must be a healer.

“I’m Feferi, nice to meet you, Jake!” she said brightly, coming over to test his temperature with the back of her hand and peer into his eyes. He complied to her poking and prodding. It was unwise to argue with healers. “You must be awfully special to the prince. He sent in a request for me personally and has hardly left your side the entire time you’ve been unconscious.”

“Bwuh?”

It wasn’t particularly eloquent but it neatly summed up his thoughts and feelings at the moment. Special? They’d met just a few short weeks prior. He’d understood that Dirk was a bit desperate for friends but...

Feferi giggled. "You didn't hear that from me, though." She winked at him.

Jake had no idea what that meant. He focused on his more pressing concerns.

"How long have I been out?" he croaked.

"Three days," Feferi explained. "It was very touch and go for a bit! You'd lost a lot of blood, as well as being in shock from your broken arm."

"The message I was carrying?"

"Tavros took care of that for you."

"Is there, um, I sort of need to, that is..." Embarrassment caused him to stumble over the words as he tried to explain what it was he was in need of.

Feferi caught on quickly and snorted slightly as she handed him a oddly shaped dish.

"I'm a healer, dear, I've seen just about everything there is to see, no need for embarrassment. I'll just skip out to the next room to give you some privacy."

 

Jake called Feferi back into the room once he'd dealt with that, awkwardly handing her the dish to dispose of.

"How is the situation with the Alternian prince?" he asked hesitantly.

He supposed that if Dirk could request for Feferi, she must be in some form of confidence with him despite her being an Alternian. Absently he pondered how that had occurred. Experience had taught him thats Dersite Terrans and Alternians were naturally distrustful of each other. It was a bit hard to befriend someone you knew would kill you if they thought they could get away with it.

Feferi groaned. " _Eridan_." She said his name the way most people talked about a subject they disliked in school. "He’s hardly a threat, not without more powerful players backing him up. And he’s so whiny no one actually wants to support him.”

“You sound like you actually know the fellow.”

“Oh I do! He used to be my moirail. But I just could not put up with his _constant_ melodramatic griping. Moirallegiance is supposed to be a give and take of support and encouragement. But he just drained me without ever giving back.”

Jake couldn’t really imagine this cheerful woman being so close with the Alternian prince. Especially since he’d been sort of picturing him as this awful menace, considering how worried everyone seemed about him.

“Why is everyone so panicked about him, then?” he asked, baffled.

Feferi sighed. “Well, to tell you the truth, Prince Dirk is a little bit paranoid. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’ll be an excellent emperor. But he spends an awful lot of time jumping at shadows and looking over his shoulder.”

Jake could see that. Even in the short time he’d known him, Dirk had come across as rather high-strung.

“But it’s no secret that Eridan despises him,” Feferi acknowledged. “Although... I’m not so sure that it’s the kind of hatred that would put Dirk in danger, if you catch my drift.”

Jake furrowed his brow. He’d nearly died out on a meteor because some Alternian had a black crush on his friend?

“I see,” he muttered.

“Jake!”

Speaking of said friend.

Dirk flung himself down beside the bed and grabbed Jake’s uninjured hand.

“Oh, horrorterrors, I’m so glad you’re finally awake,” he said earnestly.

Feferi winked at him and exited the room.

While Dirk’s enthusiasm towards his current state of recovery was nice, Jake wasn’t feeling especially charitable towards him at the moment.

“I rather hope that message was worth it,” he told him bitingly.

Dirk looked taken aback. “I’m not sure what you mean… Did the Queen specifically make you take the message to me?”

Jake squirmed uncomfortably. Ilanah said that she would prefer to entrust it to him, but she had asked if he was up to the task. “Well, no,” he admitted.

His own hubris had led to him volunteering for the task. And now he was paying the price for it. What was that old saying? Pride comes before a fall. He’d certainly fallen, almost to the point of no return. That was a mistake he wouldn’t be making again.

Dirk lightly squeezed Jake’s hand. “Never mind that, it wasn’t anyones fault. I’m just glad you’re alright.”

Dirk had been holding his hand far longer than seemed appropriate. Jake tried to surreptitiously pull away, but his grip was solid.

“I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost you,” he said quietly, leaning a little closer. “I was so worried, Jake.”

Jake wanted to tell him that they hardly knew each other, but the words died on his tongue at the look on Dirk’s face. Oh dear. Suddenly all of Feferi’s winking made sense, as did the special care he’d received.

“Well, thanks to you, I’m still alive and kicking,” he said weakly. “Well perhaps not kicking just yet. But I am quite confident I’ll make a full recovery given enough time.”

Dirk was staring at him with the most intense level of adoration Jake had ever seen. His stomach felt like it was full of bricks.

“Indeed,” Dirk said. “And since you can’t exactly make the trip back with a cast on, you’ll be able to attend the coronation. I’m inviting you personally.”

The way Dirk said it implied that it was some great honor. And, Jake realized with his heavy stomach sinking lower, that he intended for him to attend _with_ him.

“I can’t wait,” he lied, forcing himself to smile.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dirk. Dirk chill. Dirk you are coming on way too strong please relax.


	11. Homesickness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, only like five months instead of an entire year! That's progress, right?

Recovering from a nearly fatal injury was very, very boring. It took almost no time at all for the gratefulness towards being alive to wear off, and Jake found himself going a little stir crazy at being cooped up in the infirmary all alone. Dirk visited whenever he could, of course, but his visits were always a _bit_ oppressive.

_‘I don’t like you like that.’ ‘I’m not really interested.’ ‘Please just leave me alone.’_

The words in Jake’s head were increasingly more desperate, but every time he tried to voice them, they died on his tongue in the face of Dirk’s earnest adoration. While the prince hadn’t said the words, every gesture and expression conveyed the same thing - _“I love you.”_

How, Jake wanted to ask. _Why?_ They barely knew each other. How could someone fall in love so fast? It was absolutely mind-boggling, but his desire was unmistakable. The way Dirk’s hand would linger on his shoulder, how he’d take every excuse to lean in close, his rapt attention as he listened to Jake speak.

Perhaps it wasn’t really ‘rapt attention,’ since Dirk barely seemed to actually _hear_ a word Jake said. He just seemed to enjoy staring at him. Maybe not love, then, but certainly physical infatuation. Which made Jake more than a little uncomfortable, as he lay in bed unable to escape Dirk’s shameless objectification. He was a person, dammit, not some item to be ogled. A prince ought to have some better manners.

 

Just as Jake sat staring out his window thinking about these matters irritably, the door swung open and in walked none other than his royal highness himself. The brunet internally sighed, schooling his face into something that he hoped conveyed that he was pleased to see the prince.

“Good news,” Dirk said happily. “Feferi has decided that you’re well enough to leave the infirmary!”

Jake could have leapt for joy if not for the fact that it might set his progress back and he’d been stuck here even longer.

“Oh thank the horrorterrors,” he breathed. “Staring at these same walls for days on end has been wearing on my sanity.” ‘ _Not to mention my only company being a rather unwelcome suitor,_ ’ he didn’t add.

“Obviously you can’t go back to Prospit yet,” Dirk continued with no sign that he’d heard Jake at all. “So I’ve had a room prepared for you at the palace.”

_‘Nowhere near yours, I hope,’_ Jake thought miserably. “I’m honored,” he said, trying to disguise the falter in his voice. “I’m used to living in a cramped apartment.”

 

After all, he hadn’t even gotten to enjoy the new quarters Queen Ilanah had offered him before he’d headed out on his foolhardy suicide mission. She’d been rather cross when she’d found out she’d lost her personal messenger immediately after hiring him on. Another courier had brought him word of that, although the queen’s anger was nothing compared to the scathing letter Jade had written. She’d threatened to dredge up ancient horrorterror majycks in order to spirit him out of the grave in order to murder him herself if he was ever stupid enough to get himself killed. He’d been silently relieved that his recovery was taking place on Derse rather than Prospit at that moment. A letter was much less frightening to deal with than the wrath of Jade Harley in person.

"Unfortunately," Dirk continued. "I won't be able to spend nearly as much time with you with the coronation approaching."

 

Jake internally exulted.

"Oh I understand," he said with a small smile. "I wouldn't want to take you away from your responsibilities."

Dirk grabbed Jake's hand and squeezed it. "You're just so considerate," he said with a dreamy sigh.

Oh, yes, sure, that was definitely it. Jake carefully pulled his hand away, feigning an itch on the edge of his cast.

“How’s everything coming along for the coronation, by the way?” he asked, hoping Dirk would go off on a tangent instead of just sitting and staring at him like a lovesick idiot.

“Fine, fine,” Dirk said, flapping a hand. “I don’t really have a hand in the actual preparations, of course. That’s for the servants.”

_‘ **I’m** basically a servant,’_ Jake wanted to remind him.

“I’m just required to be present for everything the emperor has to oversee, and I’m being asked to actually take over for him from time to time,” the blond continued. “I didn’t realize how much more he does in a day than I do! Like I had really thought I was incredibly busy before, but once I’m emperor I’ll barely have enough free time to sleep and eat. It’s exhausting.”

It was difficult for Jake to summon any sympathy for Dirk’s plight when he was mentally rejoicing at the thought of finally being free from the prince’s constant company.

“On top of all that, I have to memorize all the vows for accepting the throne, write my inauguration speech, and learn the names of every single dignitary and their spouses, or matesprits, kismeses, and moirails. At least I don’t have to learn the official dances as well, since I’m already an excellent dancer.”

 

Jake couldn’t help but to roll his eyes, although Dirk didn’t seem to notice. Of course Dirk was an excellent dancer. As well as an excellent swordsman, excellent strategist, excellent diplomat… Was there anything the great Dirk Strider, crown prince of Derse, _didn’t_ excel at? Not according to his endless bragging! Ugh.

“So am I leaving the infirmary _today_?” he asked quickly, taking advantage of Dirk’s pause.

“Hmm? Oh, yes, yes, of course. We’re just waiting on Feferi to make it all official with some paperwork, then I’ll take you over to the palace.”

 

As if she was waiting for that as her cue, Feferi entered the room, with her usual bright smile that was rendered a tad unsettling by her sharp teeth. Jake had never been quite so glad to see it.

“I’m getting out of here?” he exclaimed, wanting her to confirm Dirk’s words.

Feferi mock-pouted. “So eager to get away from me?” she asked.

Well, sort of. Feferi could be overbearing, too. People in general were just overbearing! He liked his solitude, although this forced isolation and utter boredom was gnawing at him. Risking life and limb on a daily basis to suddenly being stuck in single a room was quite a jarring change.

“I’m just teasing, I know you’re raring to get out and about. I’ll still need to come and check on you every so often, but you can leave the infirmary and some light activity should be fine.”

Jake must have looked a little too excited, because Feferi immediately pinned him with a sharp glare.

“ _Light_ activity,” she reiterated. “Short walks. Bathing yourself. Some stretches. If you pull out those stitches you’ll be back to square one.”

Jake nodded obediently. As stir crazy as he was, he wasn’t going to do anything that would jeapordize his freedom from this place.

Feferi beamed. “Excellent! I’ll let Dirk take you to you new lodgings now.”

****  
  


 

Jake was taken to a part of the palace that he’d never seen before. It was still filled with finery, of course, but he got the sense that it was somehow… less fine finery. The furniture was a bit out of date, and the glass in the windows was plain rather than colored.

“This is where visiting dignitaries stay,” Dirk explained. “It’s a mirror image of the opposite side of the palace, which as you know is where the royal quarters and offices are. The room you’ll be staying in is actually the equivalent of my current room!”

The only important part of that was ‘opposite side of the palace.’ Jake would be safely separated from Dirk by the entire middle section of the massive building. Thank the horrorterrors. Dirk continued to blather on about who knows what while Jake absently stopped listening.

 

Feferi hadn’t been kidding about the ‘short’ part of ‘short walks.’ By the time they reached Jake’s room - or rather, series of rooms - he was a little short of breath. But it gave him the perfect excuse to dismiss Dirk immediately.

“I need to rest,” he panted, playing it up a little. “Thank you for letting me stay here. I’m just going to pop into bed for a nap and you can get back to your responsibilities.”

“Are you certain?” Dirk asked, his face creased with concern. “Do you need anything? Should I help you to bed?”

Jake flapped a hand at him. “I’m not a complete invalid anymore! I’m looking forward to actually taking care of myself now.”

“If you’re sure…”

“I’m sure,” Jake said firmly.

Dirk sighed. “Well. Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Sleep well.”

Jake collapsed into a chair the moment the door clicked shut behind Dirk. Phew. He wasn’t sure if he was more exhausted from the walk or from dealing with the prince.

 

After he’d rested up a bit, Jake stood and began to explore his rooms. The first one upon entering was a sitting room, much like where he took tea with the prince. One set of doors led into something of an office, with bookshelves along the walls and a desk well stocked with writing supplies. The other set led into a smaller, more intimate sitting room. Beyond that was a bedroom, with a giant bed on a raised dias. Two more sets of doors off the bedroom opened into a closet practically bigger than his entire apartment on Prospit, and a bathroom with a tub large enough to wash a horse.

The giant bathtub was certainly very tempting. Sponge baths never left him feeling particularly clean. But his weariness won out over his desire to bathe, and he headed back into the bedroom. His infirmary clothes were basically pajamas, so he just climbed up into the giant bed and got comfortable with a sigh.

It was a bigger and fancier cage, but it was still most certainly a cage, and Jake was stuck in it until his arm healed. He missed home, with the cluttered tables and small rooms and the sound of Jade singing as she worked on a project. He missed the constant sunshine streaming through the windows instead of this endless downpour. He missed fresh air and freedom and the wide open starscape around the meteor ring. Homesickness swept through him so sharp that it physically hurt. Jake sniffled and rubbed his eyes but he couldn’t hold back the hot tears that started to course down his cheeks. Quietly he cried over all the awful things that had happened to him recently, from getting attacked by a monster and nearly dying to getting trapped far from home with an overenthusiastic prince who apparently wanted in his pants. Was his pride really merit for this harsh of a punishment?

His tears eventually petered out even as the drumming rain continued, and he drifted off to sleep to the steady sound.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, I'm sorry, did you think this would be a cut and dried simple love story? I'm keeping true to the characters here folks, so they'll be fraught with angst and misery for a while. And crybaby Jake needed at least one bout of tears.


	12. The Hazards of Multitasking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been told I need to adhere to at least a once a month update schedule. I shall do my best.

“Hello, cousin.”

Rose’s voice came out of absolutely nowhere and Dirk jumped about ten feet in the air, upsetting a pot of ink and two paperweights. Luckily in his absent-minded fog, the inkpot had run dry a while ago. Dirk had been dipping his pen into the empty pot for horrorterrors knows how long. An entire sheet of paper was covered in nothing but scratches and faint ink smudges. Rose was casually sitting in the chair across from his desk, her eyebrows raised slightly.

“I understand you’re trying to maximize your productivity, but writing in your sleep doesn’t seem to be incredibly effective,” Rose remarked.

Dirk rubbed his eyes, groaning. “What do you want, Rose?” he asked wearily.

“The power to level entire cities to rubble with only my voice, and perhaps some tentacles to make reaching things on high shelves easier,” Rose chirped with a bright smile.

Dirk gave her a tired glance and a sigh.

“Ohh, you mean with you, right now.”

Was this migraine because of the lack of sleep and exhaustion, or was Rose’s presence triggering it just that quickly? Dirk rested his chin on his folded hands, waiting for his cousin to explain what she was actually here for. She always did, eventually.

“Firstly, I’m here to tell you to actually take a nap,” she began after a decent pause. “You’re no good to the people if your senses are dulled with exhaustion. And since no one else was going to scold you for not sleeping, I had to drag myself all the way out here to do it.”

“I appreciate your noble efforts for the sake of my well-being.”

“Thank you, don’t interrupt. Secondly, when was the last time you spoke to Jake?”

Dirk stared at Rose in confusion. Why was that relevant?

“Yesterday,” he answered. “But I was going to go see him once I finished th-”

“No!”

The prince was a little startled by how aggressively Rose cut him off. And why was _she_ allowed to interrupt but he wasn’t!

“But-”

“You are not going to go see him today. You’re going to go take a nap, because you need rest, and for horrorterror’s sakes, leave that poor boy alone for a bit.”

What? What was that supposed to mean? Rose was the one who encouraged him to intercept Jake’s message in the first place! Didn’t she want them to be together? Her premonition or whatever it was had gotten him thinking that their meeting was destiny, even before he’d seen just how handsome Jake was.

“I don’t understand,” Dirk said, a deep line appearing between his eyebrows.

Rose reached over and smoothed it out with her thumb. “Don’t make that face, you’ll have wrinkles before you’re twenty-five.”

Dirk pushed her hand away. “That didn’t answer my question.”

Rose sighed. “You’re smothering him, Dirk. You’re expecting to go from strangers to star-crossed lovers at the snap of your fingers. Well here’s the thing - it doesn’t work like that.”

Dirk felt his face heat with embarrassment and he hoped it wasn’t showing. The upward quirk of Rose’s lips informed him that, unfortunately, it was.

“I know that!” he protested.

“I don’t think you do,” Rose argued. “You’ve lived your entire life pampered by instant gratification, and you’ve never had a single romantic relationship. All your actions right now are based on what you want to happen, and I’m telling you that you need to back off and give him some space.”

Dirk sank back in his chair, feeling for all the world like a little boy who had just been scolded for trying to sneak a cookie before dinner.

“But I want to spend time with him,” he murmured. “Being with him is… it feels so right! I just want to be around him. I think I love him.”

 

Rose blinked at him slowly before narrowing her violet eyes. Well, clearly he said something wrong.

“You do not love him,” Rose said in a low voice, picking up a paperweight and turning it over in her hands. “Because every single sentence you just said focused around how _you_ feel and what _you_ want. Are you even considering Jake’s feelings at all?”

Dirk recoiled. As usual, Rose seemed to know exactly what to say that would cut down all his rationalization and make him feel like a fool. He’d never really even asked if Jake was interested in him. Or men in general. He’d just assumed that it would work out the way he wanted it to.

“No,” he admitted quietly, looking away.

When he looked back up at Rose, her expression had softened.

“I know it’s hard to hold yourself back when you’re infatuated,” she said. “But you’re just going to end up alienating him if you pursue him so aggressively.”

Dirk nodded miserably. He’d seen it in the way Jake leaned away from him when he got too close and how he found any excuse to pull his hand back from his touch.

Rose set the paperweight back on the desk and folded her hands in her lap. “Don’t bother him for the next few days,” she instructed. “Focus on actually taking care of yourself. The bags under your eyes are practically craters. Meteor monsters are going to start living in them. You’re supposed to be a handsome and vibrant prince, not a walking corpse.”

Dirk chuckled slightly, nodding. “It wouldn’t do to be unsightly at my coronation,” he agreed.

Rose nodded as well. “Of course.”

He sighed. “Alright, alright. I’ll give him some space. But what if…”

Rose’s firm gaze left no room for ducking out with a ‘never mind,’ despite how much he wanted to avoid the embarrassing question that was on the tip of his tongue.

“What if he's never interested in me like that?” Dirk finished in a small voice.

The very thought of that made his chest ache with longing. He wanted Jake in his life so much that it was as physical a desire as hunger or exhaustion.

“Then you’ll grieve and move on,” Rose explained. “Just like everyone else who has a crush that doesn’t work out.”

Dirk’s face must have immediately exposed the despair he was feeling, because Rose quickly continued.

“But, Dirk, I have sources that say things will work out in the end,” she explained. “You just have to be patient and give him space. Cousin, you’re infuriating and over-the-top, but deep down you just want what’s best for the people you care about. If you care about Jake, let him see the parts of you that are worth falling for.”

Dirk nodded, feeling his heart rise a little with hope.

“Now go take a nap!” Rose snapped. “Falling asleep at your desk is going to end with ink imprinted into your face.”

“Alright, alright, I’m going!” Dirk said, standing and backing away towards the door.

He was honestly a little afraid that if he didn’t obey right away, Rose might use some method of  _sending_ him to his room. And the idea of being carried off by some ancient horrorterror denizen was something straight out of his nightmares.

Once he got back to his room he flopped onto his bed with a sigh. He probably shouldn’t sleep in these clothes. They’d get all rumpled and the laundry folk would yell at him again. Dirk groaned and stood, stripping down to his linen undergarments and neatly laying out the clothes across a chaise lounge. Absently he recalled that he had a fitting for his coronation robes tomorrow. He hoped he’d get a cape. Those always made him feel extra regal.

Dirk crawled back into bed, pulling the covers up over himself and staring at the ceiling. The nearly constant rain on Derse ensured that it was always dark enough for sleeping, no matter the time of day. Dersites tended to sleep more than Prospitians, and Dirk often wondered if it was because of the dark, or because the darkness was so depressing.

"Let him see the parts worth falling for," Dirk murmured out loud to himself.

How could he do that, though? He'd tried to demonstrate his most admirable traits, with no luck. But maybe that wasn't what Rose meant. Well, if he was supposed to be avoiding him for a few days, he'd have time to think about it. He closed his eyes, curling up. For once he was exhausted enough to immediately drift off to sleep without anxious thoughts chasing around inside his head for hours on end.

 


	13. Sunshine on Derse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this a few days ago and then promptly forgot to post it for some reason? Apologies to anyone who might actually be following this story.

Despite Dirk's assurance that he'd see him tomorrow, he actually didn't end up coming to visit Jake the next day. Jake assumed that he was busy and breathed a sigh of relief.

That first day was spent exploring his rooms more thoroughly, and enjoying the large bathtub. He couldn't immerse himself as much as he liked because of his cast and bandages, but he still felt much cleaner than he had when he was in the infirmary. He also now smelled very strongly of lavender.

Bathing and exploring was enough to tire him out, so he pulled on one of the silky nightshirts from the enormous closet and went back to bed.

The following day Jake explored more of the palace. This wing seemed to be entirely empty except for him. He didn't even encounter any servants. Once it grew closer to the coronation the rooms would fill up, he figured.

He also didn't encounter the prince, which was almost worrisome. He considered going to look for him, but weariness sent him back to his rooms to sleep some more.

 

On the third day, Jake discovered the gardens. It was miraculously not raining, although the sky was still overcast. He walked down the long hall at the end of the wing of the palace to find an equally long balcony overlooking a treasure trove of green and growing things. Delighted, Jake rode the rattling brass elevator down to the first floor, and exited into a garden unlike any he'd every seen.

On Prospit, plants were golden. Endless fields of wheat and corn swaying in the breeze. These were dark and twisting, tall trees shielding the stone walkways with prickly branches. Along the ground were small bushes covered in light purple flowers, and creeping vines snaked up the tree trunks, their flowers a vivid magenta. It was strange and wild and beautiful.

Jake wandered the paths in wonderment. The garden was less well kept than the rest of the palace, and he figured it was because it was so often too rainy to enjoy. The walkways were cracked and here and there missing a brick, and the plants seemed to be running amok, rather than pruned and tamed.

When he grew tired he paused to rest on a stone bench, absently glancing around. The air was pleasantly cool and a bit damp, and everything smelled like fresh earth and greenery. A light wind rustled the leaves on the trees around him, the resulting sound so similar to the wind through the wheat on Prospit. Jake closed his eyes, feeling fully relaxed and at peace for the first time since he’d arrived on Derse after his injury. Lulled into sleepiness, Jake curled up on the bench and dozed off.

 

When he woke, he was indoors, being supported by a set of very familiar arms.

“Dirk?” Jake mumbled sleepily.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” the prince said quickly. “I didn’t mean to wake you! I was just trying to get you inside to your bed, because it looked like it was going to rain. I didn’t mean for you to wake up! I was going to leave you alone for a few days, I swear!”

Jake blinked himself into a more awake state, trying to process what Dirk was saying.

“It’s fine,” he assured him with a yawn. “I don’t think I would want to sleep outside in the rain and catch pneumonia on top of everything else.”

He was admittedly a bit surprised that Dirk had been intentionally letting him be. He wondered what made him aware of the fact that he was being absolutely suffocating.

“Well, alright,” Dirk said, shifting his weight to his other foot as he adjusted how he was holding on to Jake.

Jake realized then that what had woken him was Dirk attempting to open the door to his bedchambers while his arms were full of his sleeping form. He was a bit astonished that the blond had managed to carry him so far.

“I think I can manage from here,” he said pointedly.

“Oh, yes, yes, of course!” Dirk set him down carefully, looking away as he straightened his clothes.

Hesitantly, Jake patted Dirk’s shoulder. “Well, thank you very much for sparing me from a damp nap. I know you’re awfully busy and I appreciate you looking after me.”

Jake had never seen anyone turn quite so red, as Dirk shuffled his feet and ducked his shoulders.

“It was nothing really,” he mumbled. “I like to walk in the gardens when the weather allows, too.”

“Oh, well, thank you anyway. For carrying me all the way here.”

They stood in the hallway in awkward silence, both avoiding looking at the other.

“You’ll be able to walk in the gardens more soon,” Dirk blurted. “This time of year we always get a few weeks of mostly clear days.”

“That sounds nice, I don’t think I had ever spent enough time on Derse to notice.”

The awkward silence returned, and Jake wondered which kind of interaction with Dirk was worse. His efforts to be less oppressive just highlighted how much that was part of his personality. But he just looked so forlorn, Jake couldn’t help but to feel a little guilty.

“Tomorrow, er, if it’s not raining again, perhaps we could walk through the gardens together?” Jake offered.

Dirk practically lit up, his features shifting to an expression of delight that Jake had never quite seen before. Maybe he’d give the prince a chance to show that he was interested in him as a whole person with his own thoughts and feelings. A ruler was supposed to be sensitive to the needs of his people, after all, so surely he had the capacity to think of others.

“I would like that very much,” Dirk breathed, looking as though he was trying not to grin.

Jake awarded him a small smile, patting his shoulder once more. “Then I shall see you tomorrow,” he promised. “But now I think I have to go have a proper nap on a surface that isn’t made of stone.”

“Right, right,” Dirk said, as he nodded and took a few steps backwards. “I have things to be attending to anyway. Um. Sleep well!”

With a small wave, Dirk turned and hurried away, but not before Jake could see the ecstatic smile on his face. He sighed and shook his head slightly, heading into his rooms.

 

Despite what he’d said, Jake wasn’t really feeling tired anymore, so he went into the office area instead. Writing a letter to Jade might help untangle his thoughts and feelings about the blond.

He’d never really entertained any thoughts of being romantically involved with a man before, but he didn’t have any particular thoughts about being with women, either. Well, except for the heroine of this one Prospitian comic serial he was fond of. The set of short stories with accompanying drawings was published in a magazine once a month, and Jake couldn’t get enough of it. The leading lady was an alien pirate with blue skin and quick wit as sharp as her sword, who had all sorts of exciting adventures on her space schooner. Jake had been in love with her since he was six. But of course such a cerulean damsel couldn’t possibly exist, so maybe it was time to turn his mind to more practical possibilities.

A whirlwind romance with a prince was certainly appealing to his sense of adventure and affection for fantastical fiction. As his earlier demonstration of strength had proved, Dirk certainly was capable of sweeping him off his feet! But did he really have the capacity to care for the blond that way? Jake took out some sheets of paper and a pen and began to turn his thoughts into words. Jade was always so much better at sorting things out than he was. Whether it was a tangle of cogs from a broken watch or a confusion of emotions, Jake was confident that his cousin could make everything run smoothly again.  
The words poured out until his hand was cramping and his scribblings were becoming hard to read. Jake rubbed his temples. There was no way he could send this off to Jade, he’d have to find a way to summarize it all somehow. But first, a nap. He stretched, several joints in his back making popping sounds. Just how long had he even been sitting there? The office had no windows, so there was no way to tell.

He trudged into the bedroom and changed for bed, knowing that a ‘nap’ this late in the day would likely end in him just sleeping through the night. This constant weariness was getting aggravating. Hopefully he’d be recovering past that stage soon. Someone like him really wasn't meant for laying around in bed as the day slipped away.

 

The next morning came with the skies grey and drizzly, as usual, but the rain cleared off after a few hours. A bit of sun managed to peek through the clouds here and there, and Jake felt his mood lifting with the light. He was actually looking forward to his walk with Dirk, and not just because he enjoyed the gardens and the weather.

There was a crispness to the air as Jake went outside, something he never expected to feel on Derse. Maybe this planet wasn’t so overly unpleasant after all. Although he couldn’t imagine ever living here.

Jake met the prince in the middle of the gardens, and he thought that it was maybe a little bit romantic, like they were having some kind of secret interlude. The faint flush on Dirk’s cheeks suggested that he was thinking the same thing, but that might just have been the chill in the air.

“Did you sleep well last night?” Dirk asked, pausing several feet before he reached Jake.

“I did, thank you, and yourself?” Jake responded politely.

“Better than I have recently.”

Awkward silence seemed to be the only other thing besides endless blathering that Dirk was capable of. Jake sighed internally.

“Weren’t we going to walk?” Jake prompted.

“Oh, right, right.” Dirk shook his head slightly.

They didn’t talk as they strolled through the winding paths of the gardens, but it was a less oppressive silence now. Jake occasionally stole glances at Dirk when he assumed the prince wouldn’t be looking.

He was certainly very handsome, with his proud nose and solid cheekbones. And his eyes were the most unusual shade of golden brown Jake had ever seen. In this almost-sunlight they looked practically orange.

Dirk was overbearing, certainly, but he’d be busy most of the time, and Jake would be working. And perhaps once he had Jake’s affections secured, the prince would let up a little. Part of Jake was astonished that he was actually considering this. A few days ago he would have rejoiced in never seeing Dirk again! But there was something very tempting about how earnest the prince was. He’d never really thought of himself as especially desirable, what with his short stature and even shorter sight. And here was a crown prince, of all people, who gazed at him like he wanted nothing more than to snog him senseless. It was a heady feeling.

 

They eventually reached the other side of the gardens without having said a single word. They stood before the door that led to the royal wing of the palace, fidgeting slightly.

“I’m afraid I must return to my duties,” Dirk said with a heavy sigh as he turned towards Jake.

“I understand. Perhaps, each day that it is not raining, we could take a walk like this?”

Dirk’s face lit up again, and Jake thought that at the very least, he was rather attracted to the prince’s appearance.

“I will make sure to find the time,” Dirk promised. “Oh! Sometime this week the court tailor will come by to take your measurements for your coronation attire.”

Oh, right. The coronation. Where Jake would be attending as Dirk’s official guest.

“I can’t possibly afford something like that,” Jake tried to protest, but Dirk held up a hand to silence him.

“I invited you, so I will provide everything you need,” the prince said with a small smile.

Jake's stomach sank slightly. Well there went that possible excuse. "Dirk, I..." he began, twisting the hem of his shirt in his hands. "I really haven't the faintest of ideas how to behave at an event like that. Before you and I began interacting, I hadn't spent any length of time in the presence of royalty. What if I make some spectacular blunder and ruin your reputation just as you're beginning your rule? I mean, horrorterrors Dirk! I can't even dance!"

His shoulders sagged, the weight of everything he'd been worrying about feeling like a physical burden.

Dirk's eyebrows were furrowed, and he stared off into the garden.

"I... I didn't even consider that," he murmured apologetically. "If you truly do not wish to attend as an official guest, I won't force you. But if it's just concerns about dancing and etiquette, I could find tutors for both that could ensure you know how to best behave at the coronation."

Jake hesitated. Not only was Dirk offering a means of putting his fears to rest, he was actually giving him an opportunity to skip out on the coronation entirely. A few days ago he would have chosen to not go without a second thought. Now he wasn't so sure.

"Let me think about it?" Jake suggested carefully.

Dirk nodded. "Just let me know within the next few days," he said. "So that I can get you everything you'll need should you decide to attend."

"I think I can manage to provide an answer within that time frame," Jake assured him.

Dirk sighed but smiled. "Alright. Now I'm afraid I really must go. Weather permitting, I'll see you tomorrow."

Jake nodded and bid the prince goodbye as he headed inside the east wing of the palace, leaving him to walk the length of the garden back on his own. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dirk is actually making some progress in being less overbearing! Jake is actually considering accepting his affections! Things are Happening! I'll try to have something even more exciting in the next chapter.


	14. Waltz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started this fic, I was so very excited about writing this particular chapter. Now that I've actually written it, it feels incredibly lackluster compared to what was in my head. Ah, well.
> 
> My inspiration to work on this fic is incredibly sporadic and unreliable. It'll get finished eventually, I'm certain, since even in this year of 2k16 my passion for DirkJake remains constant.

Jade wanted him to attend the coronation. Which was just enough encouragement for Jake to agree.

Her letter had been significantly less angry than the last one, much to his relief. And she’d offered some clarity to his conundrum of feelings over Dirk.

“ _It sounds to me like you’re enjoying his attention, but don’t really feel the same in return!_ ” the letter had read in Jade’s curly, excited handwriting. “ _So I don’t think you should rush into anything yet. Just try not to lead him on in the meantime_.”

 

Easier said than done. Dirk took every glance and smile to heart. Jake was fairly certain the only thing that would discourage the prince at this point is being told outright that he wasn’t interested. And Jake wasn’t sure he wanted to do that. Maybe it was just enjoying his attention, but Jake couldn’t help it. Dirk was practically prepared to move heaven and earth for his sake. What sort of hot-blooded man in his right mind would turn that down?

Besides, just agreeing to attend the coronation would be encouraging Dirk’s affections. Surely Jade had to know that when she told him he ought to attend.

 

On their next walk, Jake waited until it was nearly time for them to part ways before he informed him that he’d decided to accept his invitation. Dirk was of course delighted. Bouncing a bit on the balls of his feet, he’d clasped his hands together and actually _beamed_. Jake was fairly certain that this was the most amount of emotion he’d ever seen the prince express.

“Excellent, excellent,” Dirk said. “I’ll make all the arrangements for everything you need. Oh, I’m so glad you’re coming! Now I actually have something to look forward to!”

“You’re not looking forward to the coronation?” Jake asked. He was a bit surprised.

Dirk often bemoaned his workload, but Jake knew that he wanted nothing more than to take the throne and be a good ruler. The coronation would be where that began.

The prince sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I am, but I’m not. The ceremony itself is long and boring and involves so much memorization. And then I’m expected to carry on partying late into the night without a single moment to myself to sit down and relax. But having a friend by my side will make it a great deal easier.”

Jake was grateful that Dirk was still using the safe term of ‘friend,’ though he clearly wanted it to be more.

“Well, I’m happy to support you in this,” Jake said. “After all, what are friends for?”

Dirk’s smile was small and a little bit sad, but he seemed willing to accept this small victory for what it was.

 

Somewhere in the palace, a bell began to chime, announcing the hour. Dirk sighed.

“I must return to work,” he said. “Thank you for the lovely walk, as usual. Will you be ready to receive your instructors starting tomorrow morning? Or would afternoon be better?”

“Morning should be fine, I think,” Jake answered after considering it for a moment. He’d been feeling much stronger and less weary.

Dirk nodded. “Alright. I won’t see you for a few days, then, since we’ll both be busy preparing.”

Jake was a bit saddened by that, since he’d come to enjoy their walks through the garden, but he understood. The hazards of befriending a soon-to-be emperor.

They bid each other farewell, and Jake returned to his rooms to write yet another letter to Jade.

 

Thus began a whirlwind of study. Jake had known he was hopeless in terms of royal etiquette, but he hadn’t realized just how much there was to learn! There were specific depths of bows that had to be performed based on rank, and in order to perform them properly he would have to memorize the symbols of each rank. Jake’s mind was spinning after the first ten minutes with his etiquette tutor.

When that teacher left, a royal tailor was ushered in to take his measurements. Jake stood very still on a stool while various parts of his body were wrapped with a ruling tape, still running over the many forms of address in his head.

The next day was more etiquette, and an introduction to court dances.

Since they had so little time, Jake would be learning only the basics - a simple waltz, and the three traditional Dersite group dances.

“Because of your height, I’m going to teach you to follow for the waltz,” his instructor said.

The dancing instructor was an Alternian yellow blood nearly a foot shorter than he was. Jake raised his eyebrows.

She met his gaze with a cool look. “Since of course you’ll be dancing with the prince,” she explained in a slow, steady tone.

Jake flushed. Right, of course. As his instructor drew him close to begin leading him in the steps, all he could think of was what it would be like when Dirk held him like this, in view of the entire court. He got so flustered he began tripping over his own feet even worse than before, and they went back to practicing group dances instead.

Somehow, even when he’d expressed his fears to Dirk about being unable to dance, he hadn’t made the connection that he’d be expected to dance with Dirk. As his official guest, it might even be required that he danced exclusively with Dirk!

 

Realization dawned upon him slowly. He was, in a way, being presented to the royal court as Dirk’s object of affections. This was practically a betrothal. After his tutors left, Jake flung himself onto a couch and groaned in frustration. He’d made a terrible mistake. There was no way that in attending the coronation he wasn’t leading Dirk on.

Sitting up, Jake considered his options. He could always change his mind, even if he’d be disappointing Dirk. Especially after all the work he did in finding him tutors.

“Although I’m the one doing the real work here,” he muttered to himself, rubbing his sore calves.

He thought of how Dirk’s face had lit up when he told him he would be going to the coronation. Oh, horrorterrors. There was no way out of this now. Let the whole court think they were betrothed. Maybe it would discourage the Alternian prince from his black interest in Dirk.

Jake’s mind halted on that thought. Dirk could very well be using him to ward off Eridan. Not to say that the prince wasn’t truly interested in him, but that might factor in as to why Dirk was so insistent on him attending the coronation. Jake scowled. On one hand he felt a little annoyed at being used, but on the other it was a relief to think that Dirk wasn’t really expecting them to be betrothed after this. This was all supposition, but the more he thought about it the more sense it made. Dirk was a politician, and playing games like this would be something he’d do without even thinking.

He pushed himself off the couch and headed into the bathroom to soak his aching muscles in the massive bathtub. He was going to need an awful lot more practice if he expected to dance with the prince in front of the whole court.

 

Time spun on towards the coronation date, and soon Jake was no longer alone in the visitor wing of the palace. Walks in the garden became impossible, as it was now overwhelmed with servants who were sprucing it up and making it fit to be seen. Jake learned that the ballroom where the coronation would be held had a grand balcony overlooking the gardens, so the trees would all be strung with lights that evening.

It sounded lovely, but Jake was cross about losing his one pleasant retreat in this place. He kept to himself in his rooms after that, endlessly practicing etiquette and dance steps. Political pawn or not, he wasn’t going to embarrass Dirk on the night he became emperor.

 

A mere week after his measurements were taken, the tailor brought Jake his coronation attire for his first fitting. Again he had to stand very still on the stool, this time as the tailor poked at him with pins.

The clothes were lovely, though. A nod to his home planet, it was all in creams and golds, with a knee-length cape that shimmered with every move. Dirk would be in Dersite deep purple, of course, and all Jake could think was how elegant they would look beside each other. That was probably a political statement, too. To have a Prospitian standing beside the prince sent a message to the Alternian royalty - ‘we have the support of Prospit, do you?’

Politics were complex and confusing and after this Jake hoped he wouldn’t be involved in them any more after this.

 

Less than a week before the coronation, the servants finally finished with the gardens. All day Jake was itching to escape the confines of indoors and breathe the fresh air, but of course he was extra busy. Etiquette in the morning, a final fitting for his garments, and then dance practice late into the afternoon.

By the time he’d finished and eaten some dinner, night had fallen. Resolutely refusing to be deterred by the darkness, Jake snatched up a oil lamp and headed out.

Only to find that the lamp wasn’t necessary, as the garden was now full of glimmering lights on tall posts. It had been beautiful before, in the half-sunlight that was a bright as a Derse day ever got, but with this lighting it was downright magical.

A small smile on his face, Jake began to wander the garden paths towards the circular courtyard in the center.

 

To his surprise, he found that he wasn’t the only one lured out by the rainless evening. Standing in the center of the courtyard was Dirk, and he turned as Jake approached.

“I had hoped you might come for a walk tonight,” he murmured. “How have the lessons been going?”

If it had felt like a secret rendezvous before, it was all the more so now at night with the soft light of the lanterns. Jake felt his heart rate stutter a bit.

“Well enough,” he answered, trying not to betray his erratic pulse with his voice. “I think I’ve got the etiquette managed enough to avoid embarrassing myself, although waltzing is still something of a challenge.”

Dirk smiled, with a particular gleam in his eyes.

“Would you like to get in a little extra practice?” he asked, holding out a hand.

Oh. Oh, great Gl'bgolyb. Dirk wanted to dance with him, right here and now. Jake swallowed hard. Best to get it over with, really, so he knew what to expect before he was on display for everyone to see.

“Why, certainly,” Jake said, and took the hand he was offered. “We haven’t got any music, though.”

Dirk’s smile widened. “Haven’t we?”

Still holding his hand, Dirk led Jake over to one of the benches that lined the courtyard. A small phonograph sat there, like what the dance instructor brought for his lessons. Jake eyed Dirk, rather discomfited by how prepared he was.

“Did you plan this?”

Dirk had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed. “I did say I hoped you’d come for a walk.”

After a few seconds of crackling, soft music began to play.

“So, dance with me?”

Jake hesitated. This could be very, very bad. They were alone, with gentle lighting, and music playing. Dirk’s hand was already at his waist. He found that he didn’t really mind it there. He placed his hand on Dirk’s shoulder.

 

And Dirk led him into the first step, and then they were dancing.

 

It was much easier with a partner better matched to his height, although Jake still tripped up every now and then.

“Sorry, sorry,” Jake spluttered, knowing his face was turning red.

“It’s fine, I’m a good enough dancer for the both of us,” Dirk said.

His smugness was absolutely infuriating, in an almost charming sort of way. Would it be treason to shove a prince and call him an insufferable prick?

“Humility isn’t your strong point, is it?” Jake muttered.

Dirk grinned. “There was no room for it amidst all my other wonderful qualities.”

Jake rolled his eyes. Dirk pulled him closer. He stumbled again.

Silence fell between them as Jake focused on the steps, his brow furrowing.

“It’s easier if you don’t think about it too hard,” Dirk said quietly. “Just trust me, and let me lead you.”

Jake flushed. “Alright.”

Fighting his rising embarrassment and anxiety, Jake surrendered control to Dirk.

Dirk smiled, and Jake felt his heart flutter. Oh, stars and meteors.

It was much smoother when he was relying on his partner, although he knew he wasn’t following perfectly in rhythm. Dirk didn’t seem to mind. Dancing like this was actually rather… fun? The music swelled, and Dirk spun him under his arm. Jake thought of how pretty of a picture that would make in his shimmering cape under the ballroom lights.

With a crackle and a squeak of the phonograph needle, the song ended. He was still in Dirk’s arms.

Dirk’s eyes were practically gold in the soft garden lighting, framed with a curtain of pale eyelashes. Those eyes were intently focused on Jake’s lips.

He’s going to try to kiss me, Jake realized with a start.

 

His second startling revelation was that he sort of _wanted_ Dirk to kiss him.

But that most certainly would be leading him on, so even as Jake’s pulse reacted to Dirk’s soft breath against his lips, he pulled away, looking down so he wouldn’t have to face the disappointment in Dirk’s eyes.

“I should be retiring,” he said. “It’s been a long day, and I haven’t fully recovered yet.”

“Yes… yes of course.”

Dirk’s hands were still awkwardly outstretched, and he dropped them to his sides.

“Dancing with you was lovely, I look forward to doing so again.”

Dirk nodded. “Likewise.”

“Goodnight, Dirk.”

“Goodnight, Jake.”

 

Jake forced himself to walk at a sedate pace out of view, although all he wanted was to flee the suffocating atmosphere as quickly as he could.

The next time they would dance would be at the coronation. Seen by everyone. What had he gotten himself into? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if I've mentioned, but the setting for this story technology and aesthetic-wise is primarily Regency/Victorian, so they have things like telephones, phonographs, cameras, etc. They also have spaceships, although they're more like dirigibles since the air in space is breathable for some reason. Don't probe it too deeply the fake science will just crumble to dust. It's steampunk in space, essentially.


End file.
